Johann Nepomuk Hummel—Beethoven's contemporary rival and friend
Piano virtuoso Johann Nepomuk Hummel was a contemporary of Beethoven’s. Like Beethoven, he was both a prodigious pianist and composer. Hummel openly admired Beethoven and published his own piano arrangements of Beethoven’s symphonies. Beethoven was less kind publicly, as was unfortunately rather typical for him.
Three fun facts about Hummel
1) he studied with both Mozart and Haydn
2) in addition to being a prolific composer, he was an important teacher himself; his most famous and devoted student was Franz Liszt
3) in his last days, Beethoven specifically requested Hummel to perform at his memorial concert
Here’s an interesting window into Hummel’s artistry: the finale of his piano sonata in F minor. Its virtuoso stormy arpeggios were clearly influenced by the finale of Beethoven’s first piano sonata (also in F minor), composed over a decade earlier. Listen to both movements and compare! You’ll notice the incredible structural unity and tightness of Beethoven’s, and the looser lyrical structure, but with even more virtuosic fireworks in Hummel’s, Hummel ends the movement with a brilliant fugato that recalls Mozart’s Jupiter symphony! Not so clearly related to the rest of the movement, but effective nonetheless.