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.
