Hünten, Franz

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Hünten, Franz

Hünten, Franz, German pianist, pedagogue, and composer; b. Koblenz, Dec. 26, 1793; d. there, Feb. 22, 1878. He studied with his father, an organist, and at the age of 26 went to Paris and took courses at the Cons, with Pradher (piano) and Cherubini (composition). He composed salon music for piano (fantasies, variations on opera themes, waltzes, etc.), some 250 opus numbers in all, most of which he succeeded in publishing. He also brought out a Méthode nouvelle pour le piano and other didactic compilations that became popular among teachers and students. Hunten was very much in demand as a piano teacher in Paris. Having accumulated considerable capital from his enterprises, he returned to Koblenz in 1848, and remained there until his death.

Bibliography

G. Zöllner, F. H.: Sein Leben und sein Werk (Cologne, 1959).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire