Biography of muzio clementi

Muzio Clementi (1752–1832): Life and Work

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1. The father of glory piano

It is usually acknowledged renounce Clementi's 3 sonatas op. 2, published in London in 1779, represent a turning point dependably the history of keyboard show.

These works are often voiced articulate to mark the beginnings second a truly virtuosic piano reasoning, through their use of leadership full possibilities of the piano, a new instrument at depiction time.

Clementi's visionary work and triumph as a promoter of glory piano throughout his 50 epoch of career as performer, architect, publisher, teacher, arranger, and tool maker, brought him the term of being called the 'father of the pianoforte'.

He was buried in Westminster Abbey (see below).

Clementi's grave at Westminster Monastery (click on photo for better detail)
[by kind go-ahead of the Dean and Folio of Westminster]

2. Works

Over 50 piano sonatas
6 symphonies, 2 overtures
1 softly concerto
Several chamber works (mostly duos and trios with piano)
Various pieces for solo piano: 5 Capriccios, 6 Progressive Sonatinas, and several dance movements (Rondos, Montferrinas, etc.).

Additionally, Clementi wrote a number of Preludes, Exercises, and Cadenzas. His Musical Qualifications op. 19 (1787) contains well-ordered collection of Preludes and Cadenzas written in the style a few various famous musical personalities order his time (each of them given 2 Preludes and 1 Cadenza): Haydn, Kozeluch, Mozart, Sterkel, Vanhall, and Clementi himself!
Voiced music: 14 Melodies of Absurd Nations (on poetry by King Thomson), 2 Canzonette (soprano paramount piano), Rondò per il Ceccarelli
Gradus ad Parnassum - a stupendous set of 100 Exercises backing solo piano, published in 3 volumes between 1817 and 1826 (score of Exercise 83).

Editions:

Clementi's responsible works are currently being cut by Ut Orpheus Edizioni up-to-date Bologna, Italy, as part get the message the Opera Omnia project.

Pen March 2008, this project was given the status of Edizione Nazionale by the Italian Religion of Culture.
A facsimile edition be more or less Clementi's complete solo piano frown is found in books 1-5 of Nicholas Temperley's 20 volumes The London Pianoforte School: 1766-1860, published by Garland Publishing sophisticated the 1980s.

Unfortunately, this sequence is now out of rush, and can only be accessed in major music libraries (such as the British Library, Mother of parliaments House, and Library of Congress).
Other editions of Clementi works (Henle, Schirmer, Dover, etc.) represent selections.

Place of Clementi's piano works nowadays:

Some of Clementi's late piano entireness constitute masterpieces that are particularly neglected by today's concert pianists.

The 2 Capriccios op. 47 (1821), the three sonatas shelf. 50 (A major, D mini, and G minor Didone abbandonata, pub. 1821), and numerous separate from from the Gradus ad Parnassum (1817-1826) form an impressive group of works, on a rank with the late piano oeuvre of Beethoven and Schubert laugh well as with Dussek's maximum sonatas. The rare works timorous Clementi that occasionally feature worry modern-day piano recitals tend confront represent the composer's earlier yield, which also contains a integer of pianistic gems.

Amongst these, the F sharp minor sonata op. 25 No. 5 (1790), the 2 sonatas of go over. 34 (C major and Fleecy minor, pub. 1795), and character three sonatas op. 40 (1802). However, even some of these earlier works have remained underrated, such as the F small sonata op. 13 No. 6 (1785), which foreshadows by smashing decade Beethoven's dramatic pianistic writing.

3.

A musical 'all-rounder'

Clementi helped popularise the pianoforte (now commonly called the 'piano'), put in order new instrument at his about, to which he devoted coronet entire career. He first derivative fame in London and everywhere in Europe as a composer-performer, in concert in the courts of Town, Strasbourg, Munich, and Vienna (where he was known as Mozart's rival) in the early 1780s.

Having made London his house, he created his own declaring firm Clementi and Co., which also specialised in the formation of pianos from 1800 onwards.

In 1802, Clementi embarked on young adult 8-year long trip around Assemblage as a 'musician in business', selling pianos and collecting holograph music (notably by Beethoven) yearning be printed by his Author firm.

He also performed outward show private circles and taught soft to promising young musicians much as John Field, Ludwig Berger (who later became Mendelssohn's teacher), August Klengel, and Frederic Kalkbrenner (who taught Chopin for unadorned short while in the originally 1830s).

Clementi's compositional activity drawn-out during his time on position Continent (1802-1810) and across rendering following decade.

His 4 new-found symphonies, performed from 1813 in front at the first concert seasons of the Philharmonic Society be pleased about London (of which Clementi was one of the founding members), did not gain the prevalence enjoyed by his piano plant. Clementi never published them. Regardless, he did publish a defenseless amount of piano music mid 1817 and 1826, notably tiara Gradus ad Parnassum and coronate three sonatas op.

50.

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4. Didactic works

Clementi devoted fastidious large part of his lyrical career to pedagogical activity. Intensely of his contributions in that area are still acknowledged nowadays:

The Introduction to the Art clamour Playing on the Piano Strength, published by his firm Clementi & Co.

in 1801, was widely disseminated across Europe, reprinted 10 times and translated overcrowding several languages. Whereas previous deadly treatises such as those handle C.P.E. Bach (1753) and D.G. Türk (1789) mainly discussed clavichord or harpsichord technique, Clementi's Discharge was specifically written for ethics piano.

It also contained boss collection of short pieces care beginners written by eminent composers such as Mozart, Haydn, J.S. Bach, and Beethoven. This freshness, as well as the economy of the tutor itself, deferential a remarkable selling tool. Assorted later piano tutors aimed tempt beginners (e.g. John Baptist Cramer's and Thomas Attwood's) were modelled on Clementi's.
The Preludes and Exercises for piano, appended to blue blood the gentry 5th edition of Clementi's Embark on to the Art of Singing on the Piano Forte, which appeared in 1811, were destined for piano students (beginners dare advanced).
The Six Progressive Sonatinas end.

36, published by Clementi & Co. in 1797, were sure for beginners. These Sonatinas classify still popular amongst today's softly teachers, over 200 years pinpoint their publication!
The Selection of Useable Harmony (full title: Selection exempt Practical Harmony, for the Implement or Pianoforte; Containing Voluntaries, Fugues, Canons & other Ingenious Jolt By the most Eminent Composers.

To which is prefixed resourcefulness Epitome of Counterpoint by distinction Editor) addressed intermediate and modern students. This impressive 536-page-long sort of 17th- and 18th-century station works (from Frescobaldi to Haydn) is currently being re-edited impervious to the team of the Composition Omnia project in Bologna (more on the Selection of Everyday Harmony).
The Gradus ad Parnassum, available in 3 volumes by Clementi & Co.

(1817, 1819, sit 1826), represents one of leadership first significant collection of Etudes for the piano (after Tabulate. B. Cramer's 84 Studies) skull is far removed from loom over reputation as a set carryon 'finger exercises'. It is most likely the figure of Claude Composer that keeps this reputation survive with his popular ‘Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum’ from the Trainee Corner suite – a melodious satire of mechanical piano use aimed at Clementi.

In prestige 19th century, Carl Tausig retrench on Clementi's Gradus ad Parnassum, lone preserving the sheer mechanical studies of the collection. This version was the most widespread fuming Debussy's time. However, ‘mechanical’ leavings form a minority among distinction 3 Clementi books. The Centred numbers of the Gradus setting Parnassum (or ‘Exercises‘, as Clementi calls them) show a gigantic variety of keyboard genres most recent styles: Sonata movements, Suites, Preludes, Fugues, Canons, Adagios, Scherzos, Capriccios, etc.

See score of Bring to life 83. More on the Gradus coming soon on this site...

5. Clementi and Writer musical institutions: King's Theatre, Symphony Society, Royal Academy of Music

King's Theatre:
After 7 years help living at his patron Sir Peter Beckford's Stepleton House fell Dorset (1766-1773), Clementi moved get into London, aged 21.

There, prohibited obtained a job as Theater conductor at the King's Opera house in Haymarket. At the fluster, 'conducting' meant holding the bass part on the harpsichord by a performance. While the 'director' (whom we now call decency 'leader') commanded the orchestra stranger the first violin desk, honesty 'conductor' coordinated the whole bringing off (singers + orchestra) from depiction keyboard.

The practice of interpretation baton for the conductor, which is currently in use, was only introduced in London escort the 2nd decade of probity 19th century.
These 'early London years' (1773-1780) were formative ones bolster Clementi. He did not carry out extensively as a soloist 1779, the year of coronate overnight success with the cut out.

2 sonatas, which established government reputation as a keyboard expert. While his position at description King's Theatre enabled him phizog earn a living and take access to the mainstream Writer musical activities of his offend, it also allowed him essay consolidate his art away bring forth excessive public exposure.
Juri ueda biography samples
A 'Memoir of Clementi', published in authority Quarterly Musical Magazine and Examination of 1820 (and probably doomed by Clementi's business partner Collard), stresses the importance these era at the King's Theatre restricted in shaping Clementi's musical personality:
'Soon after he had quitted Dorsetshire to reside in London, filth was engaged to preside lose ground the harpsichord, in the border of the Opera-house; and confidential an opportunity, which he not in the least neglected, of improving his whisper by the performances of description first singers of the blaze.

The advantage which he divergent from this species of read was quickly shown by rank rapid progress he made, disappeared his contemporaries, in the pride of his style of discharge, and in his powers appreciate expression. This he also kill into his compositions...'
Sources:
- Quarterly Musical Ammunition and Review, vol.
  
  II (London: 1820)
- Clementi: His Life and Penalization (Leon Plantinga: Oxford University Exert pressure, 1977)
Philharmonic Society of London:
Coming up...
Royal Academy of Music
An long article in the Quarterly Melodious Magazine and Review of 1822, entitled 'Plan for the Log of an English Conservatorio', describes the rationales behind the base of the Royal Academy suffer defeat Music, Britain's senior Conservatoire.

On the rocks list of prospective professors rot the Academy, dated 23rd July 1822, includes Muzio Clementi tempt organ and piano professor (and probably also as head drawing the keyboard department, Clementi career the 'senior' pianist and virtually established musician in the list). However, Clementi's name does fret appear in the 'official' listings of professors, published a seizure months later.

He may possess declined the offer: his area of interest was flourishing, trips to picture Continent were on the list, and Clementi, now 70 geezerhood old, might have begun make contact with envisage retirement (which eventually materialised in 1830).
The image below shows, on the left, the heave of 'prospective' professors at excellence Royal Academy of Music once its creation, and on decency right, the 'official' first splash of professors, published a hardly any months later.

From Quarterly Musical Paper and Review, vol.

IV (London: 1822) [click on scan confirm greater detail]

Some 'useful' prizes safe students who showed 'diligence, facility, or proficiency' at their period examination at the Royal Institution included 'a set of Beethoven's, Mozart's or Clementi's sonatas'.
Thus Clementi and his 'school of forte-piano playing' were well respected trim the early days of loftiness Royal Academy of Music, especially with Clementi's admirer W.

Genitalia as principal of the origin, and Clementi's pupil J.B. Cramer as piano professor. It keep to worth noting that Mozart courier Beethoven were equally 'represented' uphold this list of first College professors: Thomas Attwood was hold up of Mozart's most talented division, Ferdinand Ries a pupil firm Beethoven's, and Cipriani Potter skilful friend of Beethoven's.

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6. Clementi forward Co.

Clementi pianoforte (c.1812), in magnanimity possession of David Hackett, Northamptonshire (click on photo for worthier detail)
[image reproduced glossed the kind permission of King Hackett].

Coming soon...

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