Muzio Clementi

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Muzio Clementi

Muzio Clementi (born January 23, 1752 in Rome , † March 10, 1832 in Evesham , England ) was an Italian composer , pianist and music teacher , also a conductor , piano maker and music publisher .

Life

childhood

Muzio Filippo Vincenzo Francesco Saverio Clementi was born on January 23, 1752 in Rome as the son of the respected silversmith Niccolo Clementi (1720–1789) and his second wife Magdalena Caisar (presumably of German origin). The following day he was baptized in the Latin name Mutius Philippus Vincentius Franciscus Xaverius Clementi in the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Damaso . Of his seven siblings only three survived: Gaetano (1757-1806), who later also became a musician, Maria Luigia (born 1759) and Regina (born 1764).

At the age of six he received his first music lessons from a relative, the musician Antonio Boroni (1738–1792); then he studied with the organist Giovanni Battista Cordicelli, then with the castrato Giuseppe Santarelli (1720–1790) and with Gaetano Carpani (1692–1785), who was considered the strictest teacher of counterpoint in Rome at the time . Clementi was so talented that he was employed as an organist at the age of nine and composed a four-part mass and the oratorio Martirio de 'gloriosi Santi Giuliano e Celso WO 1 at the age of twelve , of which only the libretto still exists today.

Training in England

The Englishman Sir Peter Beckford (1740–1811) stayed in Rome in 1765 and 1766, noticed Clementi's musical talent and, with the consent of his parents, took the fourteen-year-old to his country estate in Dorset in south-west England. There, at the request of his patron , Clementi received a thorough school education, practiced a lot of harpsichord , mainly the works of Georg Friedrich Handel , Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti , and composed the piano sonata in G major WO 14 and the 6 piano sonatas Op. 1.

In 1774 Clementi went to London , where he took part in concert life as a pianist and composer and directed performances at the King's Theater .

European concert tour

Encouraged by his successes in the British capital, he went on a concert tour abroad. In 1780 he performed before Queen Marie Antoinette in Paris and in 1781, after having given concerts in Munich and Salzburg , played for her brother Emperor Joseph II in Vienna .

Joseph II also arranged a Clementis piano competition with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , which took place on Christmas Eve 1781 in the Vienna Hofburg . In January of the following year Mozart expressed disdain for Clementi in a letter to his father Leopold Mozart , but later used a melody from his piano sonata in B flat major Op. 24 No. 2 in the overture to his Singspiel Die Zauberflöte .

Composer and teacher in England

In 1783 Clementi returned to England. In the autumn of the same year the composer, pianist, piano teacher and piano maker Johann Baptist Cramer became his student. In 1786 Clementi composed the 3 Violin Sonatas Op. 15, 1787 the Capriccio for piano in B flat major Op. 17 as well as the 2 symphonies Op. 18, in 1790 he wrote the piano concerto in C major WO 12, and in 1791 the 6 piano sonatas Op. 25th

In 1794 the composer and pianist John Field became his student. In 1797 Clementi composed the 6 Piano Sonatins Op. 36. In the 1790s, Clementi began to make a name for himself as a music publisher and piano maker. In 1798 the famous piano manufacturer “Longman & Broderip” was renamed “Clementi & Co.”. Under Clementi's direction, the company not only built pianos, but also published works by all the famous musicians of the time, including works by Clementi.

On road

With Field, Clementi began a journey in 1802 that lasted eight years. First they went to Paris, to Vienna, where they visited Joseph Haydn , and St. Petersburg . His pupil stayed in the Russian city, but Clementi traveled on; he went to Dresden , Prague , Zurich , Leipzig and Berlin , where he met Caroline Lehmann, daughter of the musician Johann Georg Gottfried Lehmann . He married her on September 18, 1804 and then traveled with her to Rome and Naples . Their son Carl was born on August 8, 1805, but Caroline died nine days after the birth. After this stroke of fate, Clementi went to Vienna via Riga and Saint Petersburg, where he entered into business relations with Ludwig van Beethoven , who valued his compositions very much. He then traveled back to England and London via Rome and Milan , where he arrived in the summer of 1810.

Back in England

On July 6, 1811, he married Emma Gisborne at St. Pancras Church, with whom he was happily married and had four children: Vincent, Caecilia Susannah, Caroline, and John.

In 1813 he participated in the founding of the " Royal Philharmonic Society ", of which he was appointed director. Around this time he met other musicians: the composer and organist Samuel Wesley , the composer, pianist and conductor Ferdinand Ries and the composer and pianist Friedrich Kalkbrenner .

In 1801 Clementi had composed the symphony in C major WO 32, in 1815 the symphony in G major WO 34. In 1817 he began work on one of his most famous works: Gradus ad Parnassum Op. 44, a teaching work for piano consisting of 100 etudes , which he completed in 1826. In 1821, three years after a trip to Paris and Frankfurt am Main , he composed the Fantasy for Piano in C major Op. 48. He made his last trip to Leipzig in 1822, where he successfully conducted several concerts in the Gewandhaus. From 1823, the year the 3 piano sonatas Op. 50, he stayed in England. Franz Liszt visited him in June 1824 , in 1826 he met the composer, pianist and conductor Ignaz Moscheles , and in 1829 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy visited him .

Muzio Clementi's headstone in Westminster Abbey

After many triumphs, Clementi finally retired with his family to his country estate in Evesham , where he died on March 10, 1832 at the age of 80. Numerous people attended his funeral, which took place on March 29, 1832, including some of his former students. His grave is in the south wing of the cloister of Westminster Abbey in London, next to the grave of William Shield and Johann Peter Salomon . On the gravestone he is called "The father of the pianoforte". The whole text on the headstone (in the south cloister of Westminster Abbey): “MUZIO CLEMENTI CALLED THE FATHER OF THE PIANOFORTE. HIS FAME AS A MUSICIAN AND COMPOSER ACKNOWLEDGED THROUGHOUT EUROPE PROCURED HIM THE HONOR OF A PUBLIC INTERMENT IN THIS CLOISTER. BORN AT ROME 1752. DIED AT EVESHAM 1832. "

reception

Muzio Clementi had an influence on younger pianists and piano composers that can hardly be overestimated. Beethoven's piano setting, for example, was for a long time based on Clementi's style of the 1780s and 1790s. Some of the most successful pianists of the 1820s and 1830s were his students. Clementi's piano school Introduction to the Art of Playing on the Piano Forte was considered a standard work; his Sonatinas Op. 36 and the Gradus ad Parnassum Collection (repeatedly edited by pianists and educators for general use, for example by Carl Tausig ) have retained their status to this day. Is known Claude Debussy reference to Clementi in his piano suite Children's Corner - the opening track is named Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum .

The Italian composer Alfredo Casella (1883–1947) tried to draw attention to Clementi's symphonic work by reworking, completing and reassembling parts of the four symphonies without an opus number. In particular, however, it was the pianist Wladimir Horowitz (1903–1989) who stood up for the composer Clementi and played his best sonatas in concerts and recording studios. Pietro Spada has now made a recording of the entire piano work; by Howard Shelley and Costantino Mastroprimiano there are recordings of all piano sonatas. Pianists such as Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli , Maria Tipo , Andreas Staier , Stefan Irmer and Lilya Zilberstein have also contributed interpretations that are well worth listening to .

Works

The term "Op." Is an abbreviation of the Latin word " Opus ", in German "Werk"; the following information is based on the most reliable early prints and does not always match the numbering in popular editions. The designation “WO” refers to the catalog of works by the British musicologist Alan Tyson and is an abbreviation of the English expression “work without opus number”, in German “work without opus number”. Finally, the term “Op-sn” refers to the Edizione Nazionale Italiana dell'Opera Omnia di Muzio Clementi , the Italian national edition of all of Muzio Clementi's works, which is in the making; the Italian expression “opera senza numero” also means “work without opus number”.

Piano works for two hands

  • Sonatas with opus number for harpsichord or fortepiano:
Op. 1 No. 1 to 6; Op. 1a No. 1 to 5; Op. 2 No. 2, 4 and 6; Op. 7 to 10 (Nos. 1 to 3, respectively); Op. 11 No. 1; Op. 12 Nos. 1 to 4; Op. 13 Nos. 4 to 6; Op. 20; Op. 23 Nos. 1 to 3; Op. 24 No. 1 and 2; Op. 25 Nos. 1 to 6; Op. 26; Op. 33 Nos. 1 to 3; Op. 34 No. 1 and 2; Op. 37 and 40 (Nos. 1 to 3, respectively); Op. 41; Op. 46; Op. 50 No. 1 to 3
  • Sonatinas with opus number for harpsichord or fortepiano:
Op. 36 No. 1 to 6
  • Other works for harpsichord or fortepiano:
Fugues Op. 5 and 6 (Nos. 1 to 3, respectively); Toccata Op. 11 No. 2; La Chasse Op. 16; Capricci Op. 17 and Op. 47 No. 1 and 2; Musical Characteristics Op. 19; Fantasia con Variazioni on “Au clair de la lune” Op. 48; Monferrine Op. 49 Nos. 1 to 12; Compositions without opus number WO 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11 and 13 to 23 (Op-sn 1 to 18)
  • Textbooks:
Introduction to the Art of Playing on the Piano Forte Op. 42 with appendix Op. 43 (piano school); Gradus ad Parnassum Op. 44 (collection of etudes, preludes and fugues, canons, sonata movements and character pieces); Clementi's Selection of Practical Harmony for organ or fortepiano WO 7

Piano works for four hands

  • on an instrument:
Duetti Op. 3 No. 1 to 3, Op. 6 No. 4 and Op. 14 No. 1 to 3
  • on two instruments:
Duetti Op. 1a No. 6 and Op. 12 No. 5

Chamber music works

  • Sonatas for harpsichord or fortepiano and flute or violin:
Op. 2 No. 1, 3 and 5; Op. 3 No. 1 to 3; Op. 4 Nos. 1 to 6; Op. 5 Nos. 4 to 6; Op. 6 No. 5 and 6; Op. 13 and 15 (Nos. 1 to 3, respectively); Op. 30; Op. 31
  • Sonatas for harpsichord or fortepiano, flute or violin and violoncello (piano trios):
Op. 21, 22, 27 to 29, 32 and 35 (Nos. 1 to 3, respectively); WO 6
  • Works for fortepiano, tambourine and triangle:
24 Waltz Op. 38/39
  • Chamber music works without piano:
Canone finito a tre WO 29 for 2 violins and viola; Nonet WO 30/31 for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello and double bass

Orchestral works

  • Symphonies with opus number:
B flat major Op. 18 No. 1; D major Op. 18 No. 2
  • Symphonies without opus number (all incomplete):
C major WO 32 (Op-sn 34); D major WO 33; G major WO 34 (Op-sn 36) "Great National Symphony"; D major WO 35 (Op-sn 37)
  • Other orchestral works:
Concerto in C major WO 12 (Op-sn 30) for fortepiano and orchestra (cf. the piano sonata Op. 33 No. 3); Overture in D major and Minuetto pastoral WO 36

Vocal works

  • Choir with orchestral accompaniment:
Martirio de 'gloriosi Santi Giuliano e Celso WO 1 (an oratorio lost except for the libretto)
  • Solo with piano accompaniment:
2 canzonets WO 4 (Op-sn 24) for soprano and harpsichord or fortepiano; Melodies of different Nations WO 9 (Op-sn 25) for voice and fortepiano

See also

literature

  • Max Unger : Muzio Clementi's life. Beyer, Langensalza 1913, (Leipzig, University, dissertation, 1911; new edition. Da Capo Press, New York NY 1971).
  • Alan Tyson : Thematic Catalog of the Works of Muzio Clementi. Schneider, Tutzing 1967.
  • Leon Plantinga: Clementi. His Life and Music. Oxford University Press, London et al. 1977, ISBN 0-19-315227-4 .
  • Marianne Stoelzel: The Beginnings of Four- Handed Piano Music. Studies on the type of movement in the sonatas Muzio Clementis (= European university writings . Series 36: Musicology. 7). Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main et al. 1984, ISBN 3-8204-8081-1 (At the same time: Frankfurt am Main, University, dissertation, 1982).
  • Anselm Gerhard : London and classicism in music. The idea of ​​“absolute music” and Muzio Clementi's piano work. Metzler, Stuttgart et al. 2002, ISBN 3-476-00976-9 .
  • Roberto Illiano, Luca Sala, Massimiliano Sala (eds.): Muzio Clementi. Studies and Prospects (= Muzio Clementi: Opera Omnia. Vol. 61). UT Orpheus Edizioni, Bologna 2002, ISBN 88-8109-448-7 .
  • Richard Bösel, Massimiliano Sala (ed.): Muzio Clementi. Cosmopolita della Musica (= Quaderni Clementiani. 1). UT Orpheus Edizioni, Bologna 2004, ISBN 88-8109-450-9 .
  • Rohan H. Stewart-MacDonald: New Perspectives on the Keyboard Sonatas of Muzio Clementi (= Quaderni Clementiani. 2). UT Orpheus Edizioni, Bologna 2006, ISBN 88-8109-450-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Muzio Clementi in the Find a Grave database . Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  2. ^ "Clementi's influence on following generations of pianists and piano composers is hard to overestimate." (Stanley Sadie [ed.]: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians . Macmillan, London 1989, vol. 4, p. 489.)
  3. ^ "Opus numbers are those of the most authentic editions, as determined by Tyson." (Stanley Sadie [ed.]: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians . Macmillan, London 1989, vol. 4, p. 489.)
  4. ^ Alan Tyson: Thematic Catalog of the Works of Muzio Clementi . Schneider, Tutzing 1967.
  5. ^ Website ( Memento of February 6, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) of the Edizione Nazionale Italiana dell'Opera Omnia di Muzio Clementi .

Web links
personal data
SURNAME Clementi, Muzio
BRIEF DESCRIPTION classical composer
DATE OF BIRTH January 23, 1752
PLACE OF BIRTH Rome
DATE OF DEATH March 10, 1832
Place of death Evesham near Worcester