60 Etudes For Piano

Description

"Regarding his teaching method, Chopin strictly adhered to the old legato school, the school of Clementi and Cramer." This statement by George Mathias is sufficient in itself to measure the importance of Johann Baptist Cramer in the history of piano teaching. Cramer's approach to composition retained the strong Baroque influence of Bach, Händel, and Scarlatti, combined with the Viennese classicism of Mozart and Haydn. Cramer's friendship with the latter began when he played for Haydn in 1791. Cramer was also open to the new music of the time, and his tours allowed him to hear it in Paris, Berlin, the Netherlands, Munich, and Vienna. From 1817, he lived for a time in Germany. Indeed, during the second decade of the 19th century, Cramer was considered one of the greatest piano composers alongside Clementi and Dussek. The 60 studies contained in this publication are those that have become classics, selected and revised by Hans von Bülow with comments and fingerings. Cramer published the 84 original complete Studies in two volumes: the first in 1804 for Breitkopf & Härtel of Leipzig and the second between 1807 and 1808. These dates are particularly important because Book I of Gradi ad Parnassum op. 44 was not released until 1817.