Henri Bertini

Henri Bertini (1798 - 1876) was a French classical composer, pianist, and teacher. He was admired both as a soloist and as a chamber musician; it was said that he played with simplicity and elegance without sacrificing the brilliance of the instrument. As a composer he had an original style which was rich in musical ideas, attractive melodies, and effortless harmonies. His compositions include works for piano, sextets , duets, trios, a nonet (Nonetto), symphonies, and variations on opera arias.

Composed in 1835, Bertini's Nonetto (Opus 107) for flute, oboe, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, viola, cello, double bass, and piano, is one of his major works. In 1838, Hector Berlioz wrote in Le Journal des débats:

"The Nonetto by Bertini ... is the work of a great musician with a lively and ardent imagination, who will grow stronger and more powerful if he refrains from his attempts to encourage applause as he occasionally sought to do in the first movement. ... This fault does not exist in the other parts of the Nonetto. ... Which of these last three movements is our favorite? The Adagio, above all, is without question a noble and magnificent inspiration whose sombre poetry reminds us of the sublime greatness of Beethoven's Sonatas. This is admirable."

Bertini is best remembered for his piano-method book Le Rudiment du pianiste, and for his approximately five-hundred études, ranging from easy studies for young students to concert pieces.