Muzio Clementi: Rediscovered Genius

Author(s): JOAN PURSEWELL

Source: American Music Teacher , SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 1980, Vol. 30, No. 1
(SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 1980), p. 12, 14, 16
Published by: Music Teachers National Association

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.com/stable/43538356

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 Muzio Clementi:
Rediscovered Genius
by JOAN PURSEWELL

Dr. Pursewell has degrees from California State and the coming Clementi and Co. The partners decided to concentrate
Universities of Wisconsin and Iowa. She has taught at Loy- on piano manufacture and sales - a sure seller with Clementi
ola, Idaho, and Washington Universities, and is presently as the leading partner. Clementi was quite knowledgeable
teaching and performing in Seattle. about piano construction, and under his supervision the Cle-
menti pianos soon gained a reputation for quality. Clementi
also became extremely wealthy. His fortune by the turn of
sametime
Muzio same Clementi time
one is one ofofthe
one of the most
the most influential,
least influential, musicians
known, musicians while at theof
of the century has been estimated at 15,000 pounds at the least.8
the Classical period. Virtually every piano student has A young student of his, John Field, was hired to act as
played his Opus 36 Sonatinas with varying skill and musicality, salesman and to demonstrate in the showroom. Field's youth
but all too few pianists have delved beyond the superficial and good looks, as well as his expressive piano playing, helped
Clementi to discover why he deserves such accolades as "the to sell a good number of pianos for the firm.
man most clearly entitled to stand alongside Haydn and Mo- In 1802 Clementi and Field set out for the continent; the
zart among Beethoven's immediate predecessors,"1 and why he trip was a successful selling and publicity venture for the
was proclaimed as the foremost keyboard genius of his day. Clementi pianos. Traveling to Russia, Germany, Austria, and
The life and works of this man of many skills - "composer, Italy, Clementi did not return to England until 1810. In Vienna
pianist, director, transcriber, teacher, writer, publisher, manu- he scored a coup by securing the publishing rights to many of
facturer,"2 is fascinating to study and is a representation not Beethoven's works. In Berlin, he married Caroline Lehmann,
only of one man's works, but of the English way of life at the the 18-year-old daughter of the music director of the Nicolai-
beginning of the nineteenth century. kirche in that city. The successful Clementi was highly ap-
Clementi (1752-1832) was born in Rome, son of a poor proved of by Caroline's father, despite the great difference in
silversmith, and was "discovered" by a well-to-do Englishman, age between himself, now 51, and young Caroline. The mar-
riage was not to last, however. After only a year Caroline
Peter Beckford, scion of a fabulously wealthy family of Ja-
gave birth to a son, Carl, in August 1805, and died nine days
maican planters, while on a tour of Italy. Mr. Beckford in-
duced the father to accept a large sum of money and allow later. Clementi was distraught over her death, and after a
him to take young Muzio to England. As Beckford stated, heperiod of mourning resumed his travels, leaving his son in the
care of his mother-in-law in Berlin.
"bought [him] of his father for seven years."'1
In 1766 or 1767 Clementi arrived at Mr. Beckford's estate In 1807, while he was still in Europe, his company burned
in Dorsetshire; he was already an accomplished player and down and workshops, instruments, and storerooms worth
composer, having written a mass for two choirs by the age of 40,000 pounds were lost. The loss was covered by insurance,
twelve, and already permanent organist at the Church of San larger facilities were built, and the company reached new
Lorenzo in Damaso, so it is hard to imagine who could have heights of prosperity. Clementi pianos were among the first
taught him anything. With plenty of leisure and solitude to pianos to be exported to America, and became the most pop-
develop his talent, he put in a prodigious number of hours at ular make in the colonies. There are still some Clementi
the keyboard, and at age 21 emerged on the London musical pianos in the United States - at the New England Conserva-
scene with a set of sonatas, Opus 2 "for harpsichord or piano- tory, Barnard College, and in New Bedford, Mass.
forte,"4 but really written for the piano. In 1810 Clementi retired to the country, finally a "gentle-
His reputation as a performer and composer grew and he man" by British standards, remarried, and turned again to
was celebrated as the finest keyboardist in England. His tech- composition. After his death in 1832, his firm, under the name
nique was phenomenal - especially his legato passages and Collard and Collard, became second only to Broadwood in
his smooth, rapid thirds and sixths. Soon he acquired a fine sales and reputation.
reputation as a teacher and was able to charge a guinea a Clementi was the first of several composers in England to
lesson, payable 20 lessons in advance. turn commercial and give up the "artist's" life in order to be
From 1780 to 1784 he made a grand tour of Europe, giving accepted by English society. Others were Dussek, Cramer,
concerts in Paris, Vienna, and Lyon (including the famous Pleyel, and Herz, and the combination of musician and busi-
contest with Mozart in Vienna).5 Returning to England, he nessman became more and more common in Europe in the
was active as a sonata and symphony composer, performer, nineteenth century.
and conductor in London.
Clementi's Music
By 1792 he became restless. In terms of the English society
of the day he was "merely" a musician, although well-read,
fluent in several languages, and scientifically inclined. The He had
sonatas,
sonatas, bulk both ofboth for
Clementi's solo
for solo and accompanied
and composition keyboard.
accompanied lies in keyboard. the form Un-
Un- of
been rejected by the daughter of a banker in Lyon because fortunately
he most of the larger works, the symphonies and
was an artist. Accordingly, although he continued to com- concerti written during the early London years (1786-1800),
pose, he stopped performing and began investing money in are lost. Two of the early symphonies survive (Opus 18), but
the firm of Longman and Broderip, his publishers. The com- by the turn of the century Clementi evidently felt his work
pany went bankrupt in 1798, but was bought out by Clementi
and renamed Longman, Clementi, and Co., eventually be- (Continued on page 14)

12 THE AMERICAN MUSIC TEACHER

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>

was being eclipsed by Joseph Haydn, and his commercial in-
terests were becoming more important. As a result the main
body of works left to us, and the most influential, are the
compositions for piano.
William Newman, a pioneer in the championship of de-
menti's works, ranks Clementi along with Frescobaldi and
Scarlatti as one of the three greatest Italian innovators of the
keyboard - he is "the composer who first revealed the po-
tentialities of the piano/17
Theodore de Wyzewa, in the Senart edition of the Clementi
sonatas (published around 1900), says Clementi "invented and
elaborated at one stroke and in its final shape the new piano
style destined henceforth to replace everywhere the old harp-
sichord style which still survived in the writing of even the
most celebrated pianist composers of that time."*
Beethoven, who was attracted to dementi's works, "...
had the greatest admiration for these sonatas, considering
them the most beautiful, the most pianistic of works, both for
their lovely, pleasing, original melodies, and for the consistent,
easily followed form of each movement."9
Until recently, no two authorities agreed on the correct
number of sonatas and other works - Newman, Tyson, and
Plantinga being now the reliable sources. A guide to the 79
sonatas is found in Newman,1" and Tyson's Index is a valuable
listing of all the works.11
The Sonatas
dementi's sonatas undergo a gradual transition from a
brilliant virtuosic style to a use of more chromatic harmonies
and a lyric expression. The early sonatas are brilliant in con-
ception - one can compare the following passage from Opus
2/1 with similar passages in Beethoven's early sonatas.

Example 1. Clementi, Sonata Opus 2/1, 1st Movement.

Plantinga notes resemblances to Scarlatti in the early works,
and cites The Black Joke (1777), a set of fiendishly difficult
variations utilizing the full resources and skill of the pianist."
It was one of the early sonatas. Opus 41/2,n and its com-
panion toccata, Opus 11/2, which Clementi played at the fa-
mous contest with Mozart, and which earned Mozart's scorn
for its overt brilliance. The letter which Mozart wrote to his
sister describing dementi's talents in less than glowing terms
damaged dementi's reputation at the time. He did acknowl-
edge later that he had been preoccupied with brilliance and
technical skill at this stage, and it was only later that he
turned to a more lyric style. After the directness of Opus 2
and Opus 12, Clementi turned to more chromaticism and
irregular rhythms in the later sonatas.

Example 2. Opus 26/2, 1st Movement.

But Clementi always stayed within the realm of the Classi- The first movements of the sonatas are usually in sonata-
cal sonata. In fact, by the time he wrote his last sonatas form, often with extended slow introductions (perhaps in-
(1821), although he was respected for his contributions to fluenced by Haydn's symphonies) and extended developments,
the English musical scene, he was old-fashioned in compari- both of these formal considerations obviously influencing
son to what Beethoven was writing at the time. Beethoven. The slow movements are relatively short - "florid,
William Newman gives us an excellent, concise overview ofintrospective adagios"" and are deeply expressive. The third
the sonatas and their characteristics. Plantinga discusses each movement is usually a rondo; sometimes a dance, such as a
sonata more in detail, and his descriptions are extremely val- polonaise or minuet, may be used or a theme and variations.
uable in that he uses numerous examples for illustrations: a The third movement of Opus 12/1 is a set of variations on
great help since so many of the sonatas are unavailable. the English air "Since Then I'm Doomed This Sad Reverse of
The oustanding characteristics and the most influential is Fate to Prove."
dementi's broad and spacious use of piano "sound," utilizing Other Piano Works
octaves, thirds, and sixths - a completely new and "pianistic" Clementi wrote a number of miscellaneous solo pieces. The
writing as opposed to the scalar and finger passage-work of Waltzes (Opus 38, 39) accompanied by triangle and tambou-
the other Classical composers. Even more important is the rine are delightful, although obviously concessions to the pop-
manner of playing. Clementi reversed the non-legato style of ular taste of the day. Others are more ambitious, namely The
the preceding generation, so favored by Mozart, in favor of a Black Joke, already cited, and two later works; Fantasie and
purely legato style of playing. This conception of piano sound Variations on An Clair de la Lune (Opus 48), and Two Ca-
leads directly into Beethoven's insistence on legato and his use priccios, (Opus 47), all written in 1821.
of long pedaling on the instrument of that time. (Continued on page 16 )

14 THE AMERICAN MUSIC TEACHER

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 Other miscellaneous pieces include a Rondo (1802); an un- students) are the most accessible of the publishers, although
offering only a selection of the complete music.
usual set of pieces entitled Musical Characteristics (Opus 19),
a collection of "preludes and cadences" composed in the style An up-to-date complete edition would be welcomed and
of Haydn, Kozeluch, Mozart, Sterkel, Vanhal, and the author would give new generations of students and artists a chance
(1787); La Chasse, a one-movement sonata (Opus 16); Ca- to become acquainted with this "rediscovered genius."
priccio (Opus 17); Fantasie on Batti, Batti (1820); and the
ingratiating and tuneful Twelve Monf errine (Opus 49). NOTES
Editions of these pieces are hard to find. Alfred Mirovitch
1 William S. Newman, The Sonata in the Classic Era, second
has included Two Waltzes, Seven Monf errine, La Chasse, plus
several sonatas in "Rediscovered Masterworks"; the Waltzes
edition, W.W. Norton and Co., Inc., 1972, p. 738.
aIbid, p. 739.
appear in the reprint of the complete works; the others exist
"Quoted in Leon Plantinga, Clementi ; His Life and Times,
in manuscript in various libraries, and if edited and published
Oxford University Press, 1977, p. 3.
would be welcome additions to the repertoire.
'Plantinga, op. cit., p. 40.
The Didactic Works '"Described in Newman, op. cit., pp. 746-748.
Clementi was of a scholarly bent, widely read, conversant "Arthur Loesser, Men, Women and Pianos, Simon and
in eight languages; it is not surprising that he contributed Schuster, 1954, p. 261. See Loesser also for an illuminating
several educational works. view of London musical life at the turn of the nineteenth
Practical Harmony , a four-volume anthology of composi- century.
tions ranging from the seventeenth century to contemporary7Newman, op. cit., p. 754.
composers, was published in the years 1801, 1811, 1812, 1814. "Quoted in Alfred Mirovitch, Ed., Clementi : Rediscovered
Much of the material was edited from dementi's own collec- Masterworks, Vols. I-III, Edward B. Marks Music Corp., 1959,
tion of manuscripts acquired during his travels; the second Vol. I, p. 5.
volume is notable for the inclusion of music by the Bach "Plantinga, op. cit., p. 310.
family, much of it published for the first time. 1ftNewman, op. cit., pp. 742-745.
In 1801 the first edition of the Introduction to the Art of ''Alan Tyson, Thematic Catalog of the Works of Muzio
Playing on the Pianoforte was published (Opus 42), even- Clementi, Hans Schneider, 1967.
tually printed in eleven editions, and later translated into 12Plantinga, op. cit., pp. 41-42.
French, German, Italian, and Spanish. The Introduction was "Although given the Opus number of 41, this sonata was
intended for the beginning student, explains notation, theory,actually written before 1781, and published in 1804.
hand position, use of legato, and provides exercises for scales, MNewman, op. cit., p. 751.
arpeggios, and, knowing dementi's reputation, passages in 1RThe Introduction is now published in a facsimile edition
thirds and sixths. by Da Capo Press, 1973.
Some innovative technical points are introduced: the thumb
should not be used on the black notes, finger changing on the BIBLIOGRAPHY
same note is not always necessary, unnecessary motion should
Allorto, Riccardo, Le Sonate per pianoforte di Muzio C
be avoided (Clementi was one of the first teachers to place a
menti, studio critico e catalogo tematico. Florence; Olschki,
coin on the back of the hand to produce a level wrist). Of
1959.
interest is the point that Clementi was probably the first to
Dale Cathleen, "Hours with Muzio Clementi," Music and
advocate starting a trill on the main note.
Letters, Vol. 24, (1943), Pg. 144.
The Introduction also includes 50 "Lessons" consisting of
short pieces in various styles, arranged by groups of keys,
Musical Review, Vol. 6, No. 3 (August, 1945).
each group prefaced by a prelude written in that key by Cle-
Kohn, James D. The Manuscript Piano Sonatas of Muzio
menti. Clementi reissued his earlier Opus 36 Sonatinas as a
Clementi at the Library of Congress : A Comparative Edition
supplement to the Introduction, which title page suggests buy-
with Commentary. Unpublished dissertation, University of
ing these, conveniently published by dementi's company. Even
Iowa. 1967.
without the sonatinas, the Introduction is a fine anthology of
Newman, William. The Sonata in the Classic Era, 2nd Edi-
easy keyboard music, and was favored by Beethoven, who
tion, New York; W. W. Norton, 1972.
tried to secure copies for himself and his friends.15
Clementi finished the Gradus ad Parnassum, a collection of
Plantinga, Leon. Clementi; His Life and Music. London;
Oxford University Press, 1977.
one hundred compositions in two volumes, in 1821. This
work is dementi's "Manifesto"; it contains material he had Mirovitch, Alfred, Ed. Clementi: Rediscovered Masterworks,
Vols. I, II, and III. New York; Edward B. Marks Music Corp.,
been collecting and revising for forty-five years, including
distributed by Belwin-Mills, 1959.
compositions of all types - fugues, canons, sonata movements,
Ringer, Alexander. " Clementi and the Eroica Musical
etudes, a scena patetica. The pieces are more than just ex-
Quarterly XLVII (1961), 454-468.
ercises; they are a compendium of musical styles and composi-
Saint-Foix, Georges de. "Muzio Clementi," Musical Quar-
tional types. The Gradus developed a reputation as a dry
terly 1X0923), 350-382.
pedagogical treatise (and a name forever known to students
through Debussy's parody, Dr. Gradus ad Parnassum) be-
Musical Quarterly XVII (1931), 84-89.
cause of Tausig's edition C Ī 865 ) of 29 of the dullest and most
mechanical of the etudes. The Gradus is now published by
XVIII, 1932, 252-259.
Kalmus and Peters, allowing present-day pianists to have a
Tighe, Sister Alice E. Muzio Clementi and his Sonatas Sur-
complete view of its treasures.
viving as Solo Piano Works. Unpublished dissertation, Uni-
Clementi is being "rediscovered," thanks to the efforts of
versity of Michigan, 1964.
performers such as Vladimir Horowitz and scholars such as
Tyson, Alan. Thematic Catalog of the Works of Muzio
William Newman, Alan Tyson, and Leon Plantinga. There is
Clementi. Tutzing; Hans Schneider, 1967.
not as yet a really "complete" edition. Breitkopf and Härtel
Wee, A. De Wayne. The Fugues and Canons of Clementi's
(reprinted by Da Capo Press), Kalmus, Peters, Schirmer,
Gradus ad Parnassum. Unpublished DM paper, Indiana Uni-
Marks (edited by Mirovitch), Alfred (an excellent edition of
versity, 1968.
the Opus 26 Sonatinas by Willard Palmer which corrects the
multitude of editorial mistakes learned by generations of piano ❖

16 THE AMERICAN MUSIC TEACHER

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