Charles-Louis Hanon

Charles-Louis Hanon (born July 2, 1819 in Renescure , † March 19, 1900 in Boulogne-sur-Mer ) was a French pianist and composer . He became known for his work The Piano Virtuoso in 60 Exercises , which became a standard for many modern piano teachers.

Life

Charles-Louis Hanon was born in the village of Renescure in northern France on July 2, 1819. He received organ lessons from a local teacher. It is not known whether he received any further musical training. At the age of 27, he moved from Renescure to Boulogne-sur-Mer, where he lived with his brother François, also a musician.

Music was never the sole focus of Hanon: he was also a devout Catholic, in the Third Order of the Franciscans, and a member of the community of St. Vincent de Paul. Given its spirituality, Boulogne-sur-Mer was an ideal place to live: in addition to its beautiful churches, the city also contained numerous religious schools and non-profit organizations.

Works (selection)

First exercise from The Piano Virtuoso in 60 exercises

His first published work is from 1854: The Mountains of Savoy , a fantasy for piano. Several works for the dissemination and teaching of the piano, organ and harmonium followed.

Charles-Louis Hanon is best known for his work The Piano Virtuoso in 60 Exercises . The focus of the exercises is the development of fluency, independence, strength and perfect equality of the fingers. It was first published in Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1873 and became a widely used exercise book. It has been translated into 12 languages and recently adapted for different instruments (accordion, guitar) and musical styles (jazz). The exercises are sometimes criticized for promoting unmusical music-making.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Hanon, Charles-Louis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	French pianist and composer
DATE OF BIRTH	July 2, 1819
PLACE OF BIRTH	Renescure , France
DATE OF DEATH	March 19, 1900
Place of death	Boulogne-sur-Mer