Stephen Heller

Stephen Heller (15 May 1813, Pest, (now Budapest, Hungary) – 14 January 1888, Paris, France) was a Hungarian composer and pianist whose career spanned the period from Schumann to Bizet, and was an influence for later Romantic composers.

Heller had been destined for a legal career, but instead decided to devote his life to music. At the age of nine he performed Dussek's concerto for two pianos with his teacher, F. Brauer at the Budapest theater. He played so well that he was sent to study under Carl Czerny. Anton Halm was his principal master, and at the age of twelve he undertook a concert tour through Vienna, Germany, Poland and Hungary. Later on in his life, he went to study in Vienna, Austria.

After passing the winter of 1830 at Hamburg, Heller returned to Budapest by way of Kassel, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, and Augsburg. At Augsburg, he was taken ill, and was soon afterwards adopted by a wealthy patron of music.

At the age of 25, he travelled to Paris, where he became closely acquainted with Hector Berlioz, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt and other renowned composers of his era. Here Heller eventually achieved distinction both as a concert performer and as a teacher. In 1849 he performed in England, where in 1850 he was the subject of a long serial (that is, divided between many issues) article devoted to his music in the British Musical World[1], and in 1862 he played Mozart's E-flat concerto for two pianos with Charles Hallé at The Crystal Palace. With these brief interruptions, the last twenty-five years of his life were spent at Paris. He outlived his reputation, and was almost forgotten when he died in 1888.

Heller was a prolific composer for the piano, and although his works are not often said to show surprising originality, they are renowned for their grace and elegance. As regards a specific knowledge of the instrument, Heller was considered superior even to Mendelssohn; and his poetry of sentiment, pure and rich melody, and fertility of rhythmical invention place him among the very first composers of his genre. His studies remain popular with music teachers and students.