Descent and parents Friedrich Wilhelm Kalkbrenner was the son of
Christian Kalkbrenner and an unidentified mother. Kalkbrenner was born, allegedly in a post chaise, during a trip his mother made from
Kassel to
Berlin. His birth was consequently unable to be registered with the authorities, and hence the exact date of his birth was not recorded. Kalkbrenner's father was going to be appointed
Kapellmeister to
Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt, Queen Consort of Prussia, in 1786. Thus, it is possible that Kalkbrenner's mother was on the way from Hesse to Berlin to join her husband, who would shortly take up his new duties at the court of Potsdam.
1785–1798: Childhood and first education in Berlin Kalkbrenner's father was his first teacher. By the time he was six he played a piano concerto by
Joseph Haydn to the Queen of Prussia. When he was eight he spoke four languages fluently. Although his education took place in
Potsdam and Rheinsberg castle, Kalkbrenner retained the heavy Berliner argot, characteristic of working-class people to this day, for the rest of his life.
1798–1802: At the Conservatoire de Paris At the end of 1798, Kalkbrenner was enrolled at the Paris Conservatoire. He was in the piano class of Alsatian pianist and composer
Louis Adam, father of the now more famous opera composer
Adolphe Adam. Louis Adam was for 45 years the most influential professor for piano at the Paris Conservatory. According to French pianist and piano professor
Antoine François Marmontel he put his pupils to work on great masters like Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, Haydn, Mozart, and Clementi – at that time a notable exception among piano teachers. In harmony and composition he was taught by
Charles Simon Catel. Kalkbrenner was a fellow student of opera and ballet composer
Ferdinand Hérold and did well at his studies. In 1799 (Published in 1800), he won second prize for piano (
Pierre-Joseph-Guillaume Zimmerman came in first), in the following year first prize. When he left Paris at the end of 1802 for Vienna to continue his studies, Kalkbrenner was not yet a finished artist, but he could already look back on a solidly musical education from recognised masters in their own fields.
1803–1806: Studies in Vienna and concert tours in Germany In the latter half of 1803, Kalkbrenner travelled to Vienna to continue with his education. In Vienna he took counterpoint lessons from
Antonio Salieri and
Johann Georg Albrechtsberger. Besides taking lessons in counterpoint he met Haydn, Beethoven and Hummel, playing duets with the latter. In 1805 and the year thereafter Kalkbrenner appeared as concert pianist in Berlin, Munich, and Stuttgart.
1814–1823: Pianist, teacher and businessman in London From 1814 to 1823 Kalkbrenner lived in England. He gave many concerts, composed and established himself as a successful piano teacher. In England Kalkbrenner encountered the
chiroplast or "hand guide", an invention made by
Johann Bernhard Logier consisting of two parallel rails of mahogany wood that were placed on two feet and loosely attached to the piano. The chiroplast restricted vertical motions of the arms, thereby helping nascent pianists to attain the (perceived) correct position of the hands. Camille Saint-Saëns, who was put to work with it as a boy, describes it: :"The preface to Kalkbrenner's method, in which he relates the beginnings of his invention, is exceedingly interesting. This invention consisted of a rod placed in front of the keyboard. The forearm rested on this rod in such a way that all muscular action save that of the hand was suppressed. This system is excellent for teaching the young pianist how to play pieces written for the harpsichord or the first pianofortes where the keys responded to slight pressure; but it is inadequate for modern works and instruments." In 1817, Logier teamed up with Kalkbrenner to found an academy where music theory and piano playing were taught using the chiroplast. The proceeds from the patent made Kalkbrenner a wealthy man. In 1821, Ignaz Moscheles had also settled in London. His playing had a great influence on Kalkbrenner, who used his time in London to hone his technical skills.
1823–1824: Concerts in Austria and Germany In 1823 and 1824, Kalkbrenner gave concerts in Frankfurt, Leipzig, Dresden, Berlin, Prague, and Vienna. During the same period, he composed a variation on a waltz by
Anton Diabelli for
Vaterländischer Künstlerverein.
1825–1849: Pianist, teacher and piano manufacturer in Paris Kalkbrenner returned to Paris a rich man. Here he became a partner in Pleyel's piano factory, which by the time of Kalkbrenner's death (1849) had risen to a place second only to
Erard in prestige and output. In the 1830s Kalkbrenner was at the pinnacle of his pianistic powers and his virtuosity aroused the greatest enthusiasm in the years 1833, 1834, and 1836 on his trips to Hamburg, Berlin, Brussels, and other places. After the arrival of Liszt and Thalberg, Kalkbrenner's fame was on the wane. In the winter of 1831,
Frédéric Chopin considered becoming Kalkbrenner's pupil. Kalkbrenner, though, had demanded that Chopin study three years with him. Chopin's deliberations, whether he should or should not study with Kalkbrenner, caused a flurry of letters between Chopin Kalkbrenner: :Warsaw, 27 November 1831,
Józef Elsner (Chopin's composition teacher) to Chopin in Paris: "I was pleased to see, by your letter, that Kalkbrenner, the first of pianists, as you call him, gave you such a friendly reception. [...] I am very glad that he has agreed to initiate you into the mysteries of his art, but it astonishes me to hear that he requires three years to do so. Did he think the first time he saw and heard you, that you needed all that time to accustom yourself to his method? or that you wished to devote your musical talents to the piano alone, and to confine your compositions to that instrument?" :Paris, 14 December 1831, Chopin to Józef Elsner in Warsaw: "Three years of study is a great deal too much', as Kalkbrenner himself perceived after he had heard me a few times. From this you can see, dear Mons. Elsner, that the true virtuoso does not know what envy is. I could make up my mind to study three years, if I felt certain that would secure the end I have in view. One thing is quite clear to my mind; I will never be a copy of Kalkbrenner. :Paris, 16 December 1831, Chopin to Titus Woyciechowski in Poland: "I wish I could say I play as well as Kalkbrenner, who is perfection in quite another style to
Paganini. Kalkbrenner's fascinating touch, the quietness and equality of his playing, are indescribable; every note proclaims the master. He is truly a giant, who dwarfs all other artists. (...) I was very much amused by Kalkbrenner, who, in playing to me, made a mistake which brought him to a standstill; but the way in which he recovered himself was marvellous. Since this meeting we have seen each other every day; either he comes to me, or I go to him. He offered to take me as a pupil for three years, and to make a great artist of me. I replied that I knew very well what were my deficiencies; but I did not wish to imitate him, and that three years were too much for me." Kalkbrenner died in 1849 in
Enghien-les-Bains from
cholera, which he attempted to treat himself. ==Notable pupils==