Though Kalkbrenner was of German descent and his father was his first teacher, the most fully developed aspect of his musical training came from the Paris Conservatoire. In 1801 he won first prize in piano and harmony, then traveled to Vienna where he was guided by Haydn and heard and met Clementi, gave public performances, while en route home, in Munich, Stuttgart and Frankfurt am Main, and returned again to Paris. He did not give further public performances from 1805 through 1814 though his first works were in the process of being published. Between 1814 and 1824 Kalkbrenner lived in England and came to fame in London. This time was exceptional for Kalkbrenner as he became very active in teaching, playing and composing gathering a considerable fortune as well. At the end of this English stay, Kalkbrenner began a journey which brought him international fame and success. Throughout his career he developed great acclaim throughout Europe. He performed in Scotland, Berlin, Vienna, and settled in Paris, once again, in 1824. The highlight of his career came during the next ten years, 1825-35. The piano came to prominence in Paris and Kalkbrenner was at the forefront of performance; he and Chopin, after becoming friends, worked together to bring about Chopin's first Parisian concert. By this time Kalkbrenner had already won the honors of, the Legion d'honneur, the Order of the Red Eagle of Prussia and the Order of Leopold of Belgium. By 1835 the new generation of piano performers had arisen while Kalkbrenner's health began to decline. Kalkbrenner's playing technique accentuated the independence and strength of the fingers and he invented an adjustable horizontal rail as a forearm rest for this purpose. His "Method" is important for its excercises and his compositions were primarily for the piano. His style developed beyond the range of Clementi, Cramer and Dussek to include octaves in the left hand and full use of the keyboard. His music was emotionally and dramaticaly effective though lacking the lyricism of Chopin. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi