Stephen Heller

Stephen Heller (15 May 181314 January 1888) was a Hungarian pianist, teacher, and composer whose career spanned the period from Schumann to Bizet. Heller was an influence for later Romantic composers. He outlived his reputation, and was a near-forgotten figure at his death in 1888. Biography Heller was born in Pest, Hungary in 1813. He had been destined for a legal career, but instead decided to devote his life to music. At the age of nine he performed Jan Ladislav Dussek’s Concerto for Two Pianos with his teacher, Franz Brauer, at the Budapest Theater. He played so well that he was sent to study in Vienna, Austria, under Carl Czerny. Unable to afford Czerny’s expensive fees, he became a student of . In 1862 he performed Mozart’s E-flat concerto for two pianos with Charles Hallé at The Crystal Palace. He spent the last twenty-five years of his life in Paris. Works Heller was a prolific composer for the piano and his studies remain popular with music teachers and students. Complete worklist * Op. 1 Thème de Paganini varié * Op. 2 Les charmes de Hambourg. Rondeau brillant * Op. 3 Fantaisie dramatique sur les opéras Semiramide et Masaniello * Op. 4 Valse Favorite de Hubovsky. Variatio