Selected Works for Piano by Czerny

Author: (Austrian) Carl Czerny
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The piano teaching system in our country places relatively great emphasis on finger technique training. Internationally, this characteristic has been recognized, which is related to our frequent use of etudes in teaching. However, while conducting technical training, we must not fall into the dead end of pure technique and forget that training technique is to better express music and the beauty of sound. The singularity of melodies and the flexibility of fingers are equally important. Selected Etudes for Piano by Czerny and Basic Training Handbook for Young Piano Pupils provide piano teachers with richer teaching materials for individualized instruction. However, how to apply these materials depends on the creativity of piano teachers.
During technical training, although repetition is necessary, correct and scientific playing methods are more important. Otherwise, technical training may go astray. The author has selected 187 intermediate-level etudes, 152 basic training exercises, and 18 reinforcement exercises from over 1,000 etudes in Czerny’s other 14 collections of etudes. These have been compiled into Selected Etudes for Piano by Czerny and Basic Training Handbook for Young Piano Pupils, with key points for each exercise noted to supplement the current Czerny piano etude curriculum in our country. The two sets of intermediate-level etudes are arranged in order based on teaching levels, and teachers should adjust them appropriately according to the principle of individualized instruction based on students’ actual conditions. Many of the pieces are designed for specific topics such as double notes, chords, compound rhythms, left-hand techniques, and singing-style playing. To cultivate students’ singing-style playing ability, this collection particularly emphasizes selecting etudes with beautiful melodies and high artistic quality, mainly sourced from Op. 823, Op. 748, and Op. 750, which were composed using European folk tunes and characteristic melodies from famous composers.
The Basic Training Handbook for Young Piano Pupils is intended for students at the intermediate level. These pieces, referred to as "exercises," belong to single piano technical materials, or "piano vocabulary." Czerny has many collections of such "exercises," and this handbook primarily selects from Op. 261, Op. 821, Op. 337, and Op. 365. These exercises possess certain musical expressive characteristics, differing from the mechanical finger exercises of Hanon or Schmitt.