Czerny: "School of Velocity", Op. 299, no. 1-30

1. how you come across to it:
Bought it in Shengzhen book city

2. why this piece?
I bought it together with Op. 849 for my student. But actually I have never played them before! I have been always a lazy piano student who never practised any Czerny or Hanon.

3. (and...)
This is the missing part of my piano learning. Maybe most piano students would found Czerny uninteresting. But when I played it, I realized that although his chords are simple, but he explored many different patterns, and they could be very musical if played well. And each piece indeed helps to improve particular finger techniques. These piece can be an easier step-stone before the more difficult Chopin and Liszt etudes.

And as the student of Beethoven and the teacher of Liszt, his pieces demonstrate both the classical and early romantic style. Indeed Liszt owed a lot from him! You can find traces of Liszt's La Campella and other pieces in these exercises.