A favored student and comrade of Mozart, and Haydn's successor as music director to the Esterházy court, Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1827) was considered in his lifetime to be one of Europe's greatest composers and pianists. For his craftsmanship and sense of 18th-century style, Hummel was thought to be a true representative of his age, an "elder statesman of Viennese Classicism" (Grove). His compositions for solo piano reflect his essential qualities of classical grace, melodic elegance, and brilliant virtuosity -- fully evident in this compilation of 15 of Hummel's most important keyboard works: Rondo, Op. 11; Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 13; Fantasie, Op. 18; Rondo-Fantasie, Op. 19; Sonata in F Minor, Op. 20; Caprice, Op. 49; "La Bella Caprissiosa" (Polonaise), Op. 55; Variations, Op. 57; 24 Preludes, Op. 67; Sonata in F-sharp Minor, Op, 81; Sonata in D Major, Op. 106; "La Contemplazione," Op. 107, No. 3; Rondo all'Ungherese, Op. 107, No. 6; Rondo Brillante, Op. 109; "La Galante" (Rondeau Brillant), Op. 120.
Now pianists and music lovers can enjoy a treasury of Hummel's most representative piano music in this attractive, durable, and inexpensive edition, reproduced from authoritative Universal-Edition scores, edited by Charles de Béroit.