The characteristics of Heller's music were clearly a transition from German Romanticism to French Impressionism. He was born in Pest and lived most of his youth in the Hungarian capital but then went to Vienna to study with Czerny. He could not afford the expense and studied with Halm instead. Through his teacher he met Beethoven and Schubert and by 1828 Heller had made his debut and went on an extended concert tour that included Hungary, Transylvania, Poland and Germany. Between 1830 and 1838 he was afforded the opportunity to study with Chelard in Augsburg. Although his early compositions (composed in Augsburg) consisted of lieder for Goethe's poetry, his music was dominated by works for the piano that finally received deserved attention when they were performed by Liszt. The studies, variations and transcriptions were considered so important and virtuous that his other compositions gained little notice. Innovative harmonies, sequences, cutting rhythms, dissonances, and imaginative use of the full range of the keyboard, dynamics and registration characterized the music of Heller. He was a precursor to the music of Saint-Saens, and Debussy. Settings and stylings were later reflected in the works of Rakhmaninov. Among Heller's most important works were "Spaziergange eines Einsamen," "Introduction, variations et finale," "La chase," and "L'art de phraser." ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi