The soloist in the premiere performance in Vienna of Beethoven’s monumental Emperor Concerto, Carl Czerny, was a prolific composer but is today only remembered for the exercises and etudes that he composed for piano students. He studied under such masters as Muzio Clementi, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Antonio Salieri, and Ludwig van Beethoven. Now one does not always love Czerny studies, for they can be rather long and repetitive-and taxing. However, early in the author’s training he came to understand the value of such study. During that early training he worked exclusively in a volume entitled 160 Eight-Measure Exercises (op. 183). This was a wise choice on the part of his mentor because these particular etudes are short and succinct-and absolutely charming and beautiful. From that collection of 160 etudes he has chosen twenty of his special favorites.

The road to developing technical skill involves a considerable amount of repetition. It can be lonely and a bit wearisome. With this in mind, the author added a second piano part for each of the twenty studies. A teacher or another student may play these on a second piano or you may make use of the MIDI files that you can easily obtain.

Professor Sheftel is a member of the faculty of The Juilliard School. He has served on the faculties of the Mannes College of Music, The Manhattan School of Music, and Hunter College.

Paul Sheftel has performed in most of the capitols of Europe and throughout the United States. In New York City alone he has performed in most of the noted performing venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully, Town, and Merkin Concert Halls.