Carl Czerny was born in Vienna, Austria in 1791. After a series of lessons with Beethoven, Czerny became known in his early years as a concert pianist, but gave up performing in favor of teaching and composing. His legacy is based strongly on his teaching and the multitude of notable pianists who he influenced. Czerny was also one of the most active composers in the history of music, writing works in nearly all genres. His technical studies for pianists are still highly regarded by many teachers. Czerny died in 1857.