Johann Nepomuk Hummel Mass in B flat major

Johann Nepomuk Hummel was an important composer, pianist and music teacher in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras.

He was born on November 14, 1778 in Pressburg (Bratislava). In 1786, his family moved to Vienna, where he became a piano pupil of W. A. Mozart. Just two years later, he went on a concert tour with his father lasting several years. Hummel was regarded as one of Vienna's leading pianists and was particularly admired for his free improvisations. His other teachers included J.G. Albrechtsberger, A. Salieri and J. Haydn, whose position at the court of Prince Esterházy he took over. He later worked as court conductor in Stuttgart and then in Weimar until his death, where he also achieved a high reputation.

Hummel's compositions consist mainly of piano and other instrumental music. Some sacred vocal works such as the Mass in B flat major were composed during his time in Eisenstadt. Another area of Hummel's work is instrumental pedagogy. He began giving piano lessons at a young age. His piano tutor Ausführliche theoretisch-practische Anweisung zum Piano-Forte-Spiel, published in 1828, was dedicated to Tsar Nicholas I.

Thanks to his good business sense and his skill in dealing with publishers, Hummel's compositions were published in many countries during his lifetime, which brought him a fair amount of prosperity. He was also part of the Institut de France and the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien.