1. James William Hatcher (1989)

Pianist

English pianist and producer known as half of the electronic music duo HONNE.

2. Mary Lou Williams (1910)

Pianist

Pittsburghers lovingly called her 'the little piano girl of East Liberty.' She mentored Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk.

3. Adnan Sami (1969)

Pianist

Versatile performer who mastered Indian and Western classical/semi-classical, jazz, rock, and pop music.

4. Oystein Moen (1980)

Pianist

Norwegian musician who was known for collaborating with such bands as Jaga Jazzist and Puma.

5. Franz Lauska (1970)

Pianist

Moravian musician who was widely regarded as "one of the most brilliant executants of his time" by critics.

6. Edgar Huerta (1980)

Pianist

Keyboardist best known as a member of the award-winning Mexican electropop act Belanova, with whom he began performing in 2000. He and the band hit it big in their home...

7. Friedrich Kalkbrenner (1785)

Pianist

Came before Chopin, Thalberg, and Liszt. He was considered one of the greatest pianists in Europe at the time. He was also the subject of much gossip.

8. Cipriani Potter (1792)

Pianist

Important pianist and conductor in London during the 19th century. He was also a prolific composer.

9. Julian Fontana (1810)

Pianist

Composer, lawyer, author, translator, and entrepreneur who was also a skilled musician. He translated Don Quixote into Polish.

10. Ludwig Schuncke (1810)

Pianist

Musician whose talents promised a brilliant career, all of which was shattered by his death from tuberculosis when he was only 23.

11. Camille-Marie Stamaty (1970)

Pianist

Well-regarded piano teacher and composer of educational material whose name fell into the footnotes of history.

12. Theodor Kullak (1970)

Pianist

Known for his 1848 musical piece Die Schule des Oktavenspiels. He educated future notables like Alfred Grünfeld and Nikolai Rubinstein.

13. Karol Mikuli (1819)

Pianist

Armenian-Polish musician, composer, conductor, and educator who was best known as an authority on Chopin.

14. Ernst Pauer (1970)

Pianist

Also a music historian who designed concerts that showcased the evolution of keyboard music from 1600 until his era.

15. Gustav Kross (1831)

Pianist

Holds the unfortunate distinction of giving a bad performance as a soloist for the Russian premiere of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1.

16. Anton Rubinstein (1829)

Pianist

Founder of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory and transitional figure in the life of Russian art and culture.

17. Louis Brassin (1840)

Pianist

Famous for his piano transcription of the oft-recorded Magic Fire Music from Die Walküre by Richard Wagner.

18. Elie-Miriam Delaborde (1970)

Pianist

Although known for his musical skills, his life was more colorful than anything he played on the piano.

19. Edmund Neupert (1842)

Pianist

Soloist at the April 3, 1869, world premiere of Piano Concerto in A minor by Edvard Grieg. He was compared to Franz Liszt.

20. Edward Dannreuther (1970)

Pianist

Influential musician, writer, and teacher known for his mastery of Chopin and Beethoven and his advocacy of contemporary music.

21. Ignaz Brull (1970)

Pianist

Highly regarded musician and composer whose works were rediscovered to great acclaim in the 21st century. He was a close friend of Johannes Brahms.

22. Aleksander Michalowski (1851)

Pianist

Polish pianist, pedagogue, and composer known for the many students he impacted and for mastering pianoforte technique.

23. Jose Manuel Jiminez Berroa (1970)

Pianist

Along with his family, he founded one of the first all-black ensembles Das Negertrio. He was more popular in Europe than in his native land.

24. Conrad Ansorge (1970)

Pianist

Trained many future pianists, including notables like James Simon, Wilhelm Furtwängler, and Selim Palmgren.

25. Eugen d'Albert (1864)

Pianist

Prolific artist who was a British, German, and Swiss citizen throughout his lifetime.

26. Frederic Lamond (1970)

Pianist

Classical master who was one of Johannes Brahms' earliest supporters and a foremost authority on Beethoven.

27. Manuel Valera (1970)

Pianist

Received the 2005 and 2006 ASCAP Young Composers Award and was a finalist at the 2004 and 2006 Great American Jazz Competition.

28. Konstantin Igumnov (1970)

Pianist

Acclaimed musician whose teaching career influenced many notable Russian pianists, including Natalia Satina, Sergei Rachmaninoff's wife.

29. Harold Bauer (1873)

Pianist

Started his career as a violinist, even studying under the world-famous Hungarian Jewish violinist Adolf Pollitzer.

30. Leopold Godowsky (1970)

Pianist

Self-taught musician, composer, and educator known for his theories about economy of motion in piano playing and relaxed weight.

31. Jonathan Biss (1970)

Pianist

Acclaimed pianist who became known for his recordings of works by Beethoven, Mozart, and Schumann. He has performed with such renowned orchestras as the New York Philharmonic and the Cleveland...

32. Edouard Risler (1970)

Pianist

One of the most important French pianists of his era; he had a passion for both romantic German composers and contemporary works.

33. Carl Friedberg (1970)

Pianist

Well-regarded pianist and teacher who specialized in the works of Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms.

34. Marguerite Long (1874)

Pianist

Musician who had a distinguished performing and teaching career, instructing such future notables as Jacques Fevrier and Gabriel Tacchino.

35. Josef Hofmann (1876)

Pianist

Child prodigy, educator, and inventor who was considered the greatest pianist of his day until alcoholism wreaked havoc on his talents.

36. Heinrich Gebhard (1970)

Pianist

German immigrant who became one of America's most important 20th-century pianists and music educators.

37. Harold Samuel (1879)

Pianist

Intellectual musician who was among the first 20th-century pianists to specialize in Johann Sebastian Bach's compositions.

38. Mark Hambourg (1879)

Pianist

Child prodigy considered by some to be the greatest pianist of his time. He appeared in 1941's The Common Touch as a pianist nicknamed Chopin.

39. Egon Petri (1881)

Pianist

Influential musician known for his mastery of Beethoven, Liszt, and Brahms and for his profound impact on numerous future pianists.

40. Tony Jackson (1882)

Pianist

American pianist, singer, and composer who was famous during the ragtime era.

41. Emil Hajek (1970)

Pianist

Pianist and composer who served as first president of the Association of Musical Artists of Serbia and was director of the Saratov Conservatory for a year in 1920.

42. Irene Scharrer (1970)

Pianist

Classical musician who was known for her mastery of Romantic-era composers, especially of their smaller compositions.

43. Heinrich Neuhaus (1970)

Pianist

Self-taught musician who wrote the 1958 pedagogic book The Art of Piano Playing, which influenced generations of pianists.

44. Jan Chiapusso (1970)

Pianist

Classical musician who was trained by French composer Raoul Pugno and Scottish pianist Frederic Lamond. He taught pianist Rosalyn Tureck.

45. Benno Moiseiwitsch (1890)

Pianist

Known for his mastery of late Romantic-era composers. His style was applauded for its elegance, freedom, and poetry.

46. Emma Boynet (1891)

Pianist

Remembered for her insightful interpretations of French music.

47. Marcel Ciampi (1970)

Pianist

Musician and educator who had the longest tenure in the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris' history.

48. Mieczyslaw Horszowski (1892)

Pianist

Child prodigy who had one of history's longest performing-arts careers.

49. Nikolai Orlov (1970)

Pianist

Pianist beloved for his mastery of Frederic Chopin's repertoire. During the early twentieth century, he embarked upon a worldwide concert tour.

50. Eduard Steuermann (1970)

Pianist

Austrian-American musician who helped composer Arnold Schoenberg debut some of his major works. He taught at Juilliard from 1952 until 1964.