Aloys Schmitt

Full biography Aloys Schmitt

Aloys Schmitt (1788-1866) was a German composer, pianist, and pedagogue who is known for his piano music and teaching method. He was born in the town of Erlenbach am Main and went on to study music in Frankfurt and Vienna. Schmitt wrote numerous piano pieces, including sonatinas for 2- and 4-hands and piano concertos. His method of piano instruction was respected by Franz Liszt and other prominent pianists of his time.

Despite his accomplishments, Schmitt is relatively unknown today. However, his piano music has been recorded and some of his pieces, such as Rondeau brilliant, have been praised by notable composers like Robert Schumann. In addition to his musical compositions, Schmitt also wrote preparatory exercises for the piano, which are still used in piano pedagogy today.

Schmitt was the brother of Jacob Schmitt, another German pianist and composer who wrote about 370 piano pieces. Schmitt's son, Georg Alois Schmitt, was also a composer.