Music

Hanon Restored: Charles-Louis Hanon's Five-Finger Exercises Restored to His Original Design

The five-finger exercises by French pianist Charles-Louis Hanon (1819-1900) have been in continuous publication since 1872 and have been studied by legions of pianists around the world. But unknown to most teachers, musical and technical disparities can be found in twenty-four of the thirty-one original exercises. Most notably, many of the studies do not conform to the design for their construction that Hanon himself outlined on the first page of the original printing.

Hanon Restored is the first scholarly examination of Hanon’s studies ever prepared. In addition to constructing the exercises strictly according to his own formula, this meticulously researched critical edition includes the most extensive biography of Hanon’s life yet written. Of special interest to teachers, the edition includes several useful features: a guide that groups exercises together with similar content, clearer descriptions of the technical content of each exercise, and fingerings that are uniformly notated throughout the volume. Finally, a special section in abbreviated notation eliminates page turns and allows for the performance of multiple exercises.

Articles by Dr. Adams and Dr. Martin on Hanon’s life and works have appeared in The American Music Teacher published by the Music Teachers National Association and in Piano Professional, the most widely distributed pedagogy journal in England. Hanon Restored is a complete reassessment of these standard exercises that is perfect for use as supplemental text for group instruction or as the cornerstone for technical study in private lessons.