Born in Rome, Jan 23, 1752
Died in Evesham, Worchestershire, March 10, 1832
- Born in Italy, Clementi moved to England as a young man to work for a wealthy patron. He remained based in England even after he began touring as a harpsichordist and pianist.
- Clementi ran a music publishing & piano manufacture firm in London, Clementi & Co.
- Anecdote: 1781, Habsburg Emperor Leopold II (1747-1792) arranged a piano playing competition between Clementi and Mozart, to entertain his guests. They were both asked to improvise, perform their own music, and sight-read pieces by Paisiello.
“Clementi plays well, as far as execution with the right hand goes. His greatest strength lies in his passages in 3rds. Apart from that, he has not a kreuzer’s worth of taste or feeling – in short he is a mere mechanicus.”
Mozart, on Clementi
“Clementi is a charlatan, like all Italians.”
Also Mozart on Clementi
“Until then I had never heard anyone play with such spirit and grace.”
Clementi, on hearing Mozart play 1
Sources
- Alan Tyson and Leon Plantinga, “Clementi, Muzio,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed August 21, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040033.