Johann Nepomuk Hummel Biography - A Very Quick Guide

Austrian composer and virtuoso pianist Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837) was born in Pressburg (now Bratislava) and showed exceptional musical talent from an early age. He became a pupil of Mozart, living in the Mozart household for two years, and later studied with Haydn, Albrechtsberger and Salieri. Hummel established an international reputation as a touring pianist before taking prominent posts, including Kapellmeister at the Esterházy court and later in Weimar, where he spent the last decades of his career.

Hummel composed extensively in the Classical and early Romantic styles, leaving concertos, piano sonatas, chamber works and sacred music. His Trumpet Concerto in E major is his most widely performed piece today, while his piano concertos and solo works were admired for their clarity and virtuosity. Hummel’s treatise A Complete Theoretical and Practical Course of Instruction on the Art of Playing the Piano Forte (1828) was influential in shaping 19th-century piano technique. Although overshadowed by later Romantic composers, his music has seen renewed interest for its craftsmanship and elegance.