# Why is Czerny supposed to be ugly ?



## Praeludium

Seriously ?

And I'm not even talking about the serious works ! (just one example), I'm talking about the studies !






Isn't that cute and funny ?
Do pianist tend to think he was an awful composer because they had to endure many hours of works on his difficult, uncomfortable studies ?
Ok, he wrote some studies that sound really like super basic studies, but the latter studies tend to be really nice little pieces (Les Heures du Matin op821 and Die Kunst der Fingerfertigkeit op740) 

Someone who has never heard actual music by Czerny but read comments about would probably think it's some kind of equivalent to Hanon, and it's a shame.


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## Roland

Yes, I like it. I'll have to admit that this is the first time I've heard this piece. Rather charming. The simple studies can seem dull with no inner sparkle. However, this piece makes me feel that Czerny had a sense of humor after all. Thanks for posting.


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## Klavierspieler

There's too many of them!


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## maestro57

Czerny and Hanon ruined my childhood.


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## Rasa

It's supposed to be ugly because it's always played by beginners who don't have the technical mastery to make something musical out of the studies.


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## PetrB

Even played deftly, the consensus is a lot of them are near excruciatingly banal. A concert pianist pal swears they are still an essential part of the weaponry for any concert pianist, with the extra caution that part of the challenge is _to make them sound more interesting than they are, because there is other better known repertoire which you will likely have to play where you will have to pull the same rabbit out of that hat._


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## Guest

Whatever one may think of Czerny's études, Beethoven had a high enough opinion of his former pupil to ask him to premier his Emperor Concerto. Czerny declined the invitation, saying he had spent too many years teaching that he had lost his touch, so to speak!


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## PetrB

TalkingHead said:


> Whatever one may think of Czerny's études, Beethoven had a high enough opinion of his former pupil to ask him to premier his Emperor Concerto. Czerny declined the invitation, saying he had spent too many years teaching that he had lost his touch, so to speak!


The individual who is a pianist / executant can often be an entirely different creature from the same individual as pianist / composer.

Sounds like the man had real integrity over the quality of performance, though: without hours of dedicated practice per diem, and a somewhat continuous business performing, his assessment of his performing ability was probably entirely honest, and apt.


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## AH music

Approaching Czerny from the point of view of a listener, via his piano sonatas, I would suggest there must be lots of potential for rescuing plenty of fine work from undeserved oblivion. The little piece from the OP is a case in point, and I feel sure there must be many worthwhile pieces in his prolific output. Hopefully the sonata recordings from Martin Jones will be a real step in the right direction.


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## Matsps

I wonder if part of this is because of the incredible études by Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff etc and so Czerny hardly gets a look in.


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## Piwikiwi

Rasa said:


> It's supposed to be ugly because it's always played by beginners who don't have the technical mastery to make something musical out of the studies.


Like me! I'm actually working on a czerny etude with my piano lessons


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## Il_Penseroso

Stravinsky on Czerny:



> I have been appreciating the full-blooded musician in him more than the remarkable pedagogue (from Chronique de ma vie)


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## Il_Penseroso

Well, I like Czerny's music... But from the technical point of view, I think The School of Velocity Op.299 is a wonderful work. These etudes (which are actually more difficult than they may seem on the paper) are highly recommended for all pianists and not only the beginners!


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