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INTRODUCTION

This album contains 20 of the Studies which were included in an earlier Associated Board publication (now discontinued), 56 Studies and Pieces by Stephen Heller, Books I & II, selected and edited by Arthur Alexander. A second album will contain 23 of the Pieces. In his Preface to the earlier publication, Arthur Alexander wrote:

'Throughout music's long and varied course few lives have been so cloistered and uneventful as that of Stephen Heller, born in Hungary near Pesth on 15 May 1813. His parents, probably of Swiss origin, were of Jewish descent but, when their son was twelve years of age, the family was received into the Roman Catholic church. After lessons from an organist the young Heller toured with great success in central Europe as a prodigy pianist, but he disliked the life and his health became seriously undermined.

'Later he moved to Paris, a city he rarely left for the rest of his life, and where he numbered amongst his friends Balzac, Heine, Chopin, List and Berlioz; but in the world outside he achieved little success - indeed, his playing, in contrast to his improvising, was apparently in no way remarkable. His life was a sad one of loneliness and poverty. He lived almost entirely for music, in a poetic world of his own imagination. In his last years his eyesight became impaired and so desperate grew his plight that Sir Charles Hallé, in association with Robert Browning and Lord Leighton, initiated a fund to provide for his friend in old age. He died in Paris on 4 January 1885.

'Like Grieg, Heller may be looked on as a great small composer. Of over 160 opus numbers, some comprising over 20 pieces, very little of Heller's work lacks musical interest and touches of charming ingenuity. Except for a few violin pieces and two sonatinas for cello and piano, of which all trace is lost, his entire output is for piano.

‘The popular studies broke new ground in that they were the first written almost solely for musical purposes - phrasing, colour and rhythm. In extended forms Heller tended to grow diffuse, but on a smaller canvas he has given to us many undoubted masterpieces of freshness and charm. It is frequently found that music so often flags after the initial impetus has passed, but Heller, like many greater composers, invariably succeeded in maintaining, and on many occasions surpassing, the interest and quality of his opening subjects.

'From internal evidence one gathers that Heller had particularly large hands. In consequence the editor has felt obliged to modify the layout of harmonies which in their original form are quite unplayable by normal hands. In a few instances the part-writing has been more comfortably disposed, with no change whatever in the resultant sound. Also some unexpectedly difficult bars have been simplified.'