Friedrich Kalkbrenner

Who was Friedrich Kalkbrenner?

Friedrich Wilhelm Michael Kalkbrenner pianist, composer, piano teacher and piano manufacturer. He was born in Germany, hence was German by birth. However, Kalkbrenner studied at the Paris Conservatoire starting at a young age, and eventually settled in Paris in 1823 where he lived till he died in 1849 during a cholera epidemic. For these reasons, many historians refer to Kalkbrenner as being a French composer.

At his peak, Kalkbrenner was considered to be the foremost pianist in France, England, and all of Europe for that matter. When Frédéric Chopin came to Paris, Kalkbrenner suggested that Chopin could benefit by studying in one of Kalkbrenner's schools. It was not until the late 1830s that Kalkbrenner's reputation was surpassed by the likes of Chopin, Sigismond Thalberg and Franz Liszt. The only serious rival he had was Johann Nepomuk Hummel.

Kalkbrenner was a prolific composer of a multitude of piano works, piano concertos, and operas.

Author of a famous method of piano playing which was in print until the late 19th century, he ran in Paris what is sometimes called a factory for aspiring virtuosos and taught scores of pupils from as far away as Cuba. His best piano pupils were Marie Pleyel and Camille-Marie Stamaty. Through Stamaty Kalkbrenner’s piano method was passed on to Louis Moreau Gottschalk and Camille Saint-Saëns.