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| Composers Biography - Languages - |  |
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Muzio Clementi
[ Life | Works | Photo Gallery | Home Page] |
![[ Muzio Clementi Image]](../Dizionario/images/clementi.gif) |
Muzio Clementi was born in Roma, in 1752. His father was a
silversmith, and became aware of his son's musical talent at a young age. He was so good a pupil that two years later he gained a position as an organist. A rich Englishman was impressed by Clementi's gift, and decided to adopt him and bring him to England. In England, Clementi received an excellent education in music and
academics. His audience was greatly taken with his playing, and this was the beginning of a incredible successful career as a concert pianist. He was raised to the highest level of the pianists of the day in short order. Clementi started a European tour in 1781, when he travelled to France, Deutschland, and Österreich. In Vindabona, Clementi was asked by the Emperor Joseph II to enter a musical duel with Mozart. Clementi performed a piece of his own composition, a piano sonata in B-flat major, Mozart performed a dazzling series of variations. Starting in 1782, for the next twenty years Clementi stayed in England playing piano, conducting, and teaching. He had two pupils in particular that achieved great fame themselves: J.B. Cramer and John Field. Clementi also began manufacturing pianos, but in 1807 his piano construction factory was destroyed by a fire. In 1810 Clementi ceased his concerts to devote all of his time to composition and piano construction. He spent his final, uneventful years in Evesham, where he died on
March 10, 1832. MIDI FILE - from "Gradus ad Parnassum": Study No. 2 (1'21'') MIDI FILE - from "Gradus ad Parnassum": Study No. 9 (1'27'') MIDI FILE - from Gradus ad Parnassum: Study No.16 (1'37'') MIDI FILE - from Gradus ad Parnassum: Study No.17 (1'25'') MIDI FILE - from "Gradus ad Parnassum": Study No.21 (1'20'') MIDI FILE - from Gradus ad Parnassum: Study No.65 (0'47'')
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| Clementi composed nearly one hundred and ten piano sonatas, many of which are still played and many are favourite selections in advanced piano lesson books. His sonatas are only very rarely performed in public concerts, being as they are overshadowed, and to speak plainly, surpassed, by the sonatas of Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart. His music contains great energy, but is usually not difficult to play. MIDI FILE - from Sonatina op.36 n.6, for piano: 1th Mov. (3'45'') He wrote several symphonies in addition to his smaller-scale works. His symphonic works span the styles from Classical to Romantic, but he never reached the wild, uncontrolled level of most of the Romantic composers.
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