Hummel, conductor, composer and pianist, whose death ended the great Viennese lineage of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, produced a series of inspired arrangements of Mozart’s...

Hummel, conductor, composer and pianist, whose death ended the great Viennese lineage of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, produced a series of inspired arrangements of Mozart’s symphonies between 1823–24. A lodger and student of Mozart as a child, Hummel’s arrangements demonstrate profound understanding of his teacher’s art. Refusing to vary a single harmony, he did make some changes to accommodate contemporary early Romantic taste, and to bring out intensity of orchestral color as well as offering opportunities for pianistic virtuosity.