Carl Czerny (1791-1857) was an Austrian composer, pianist, and pedagogue, who wrote over a thousand musical works. A precocious child prodigy, he studied with Beethoven and had given his first public performance by theage of 10. He is often described as the ''Father of Modern Piano'' having taught a whole generation of pianists, most famously Franz Liszt. His lasting legacy is found in his many volumes of Piano studies, which have been used bycountless teachers for over 2 centuries.