Johann Nepomuk Hummel

Born Nov. 14, 1778, in Pressburg (Bratislava); died Oct. 17, 1837, in Weimar. Austrian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.

Hummel studied with W. A. Mozart and A. Salieri in Vienna. From 1804 to 1811 he was kapellmeister for Prince Esterhazy in Eisenstadt; from 1816 to 1819 he was court kapellmeister in Stuttgart, a post that he held later in Weimar. A brilliant piano virtuoso, Hummel gave concerts in many countries, including Russia, where he appeared in 1822. He was a great teacher. (His pupils included pianists J. Hiller, C. Czerny, and A. Henselt.) He wrote operas, ballets, masses, piano pieces, and chamber music. Some of his works for piano (etudes, concerti, and separate pieces) still retain their pedagogical importance.