Muzio Clementi (23 January 1752, Rome ? 10 March 1832, Evesham, Worcestershire, England) was an celebrated Italian classical music musician, composer, pianist, piano teacher, orchestral conductor, music publisher, editor and piano manufacturer. He is acknowledged as the first to write specifically for the piano. He is best known for his piano sonatas, sonatinas and his collection of piano studies, Gradus ad Parnassum. Muzio Clementi was called "The Father of the Pianoforte", "Father of the Modern Piano Technique" and "Father of Romantic pianistic virtuosity".
In his day, the European reputation of Muzio Clementi was second only to Joseph Haydn in the area of Symphonies. Unlike his eminent contemporaries, however, the Italian composer wrote primarily for the piano, as reflected in his catalogue of 110-plus sonatas and other piano works. His first maestro was his father and then Sir Peter Beckford, a wealthy English voyager.
He was influenced by Domenico Scarlatti's harpsichord school, by Haydn's classical school and by the stile galante of Johann Christian Bach. He soon became known as one of the great virtuoso pianists. He went on tour numerous times, starting from London - where he had lived for many years - and then all throughout Europe. He taught keyboard, and his method is used still today. Very esteemed as a teacher, his students were John Field, Johann Baptist Cramer and Ignaz Moscheles, but also Giacomo Meyerbeer, Friedrich Wilhelm Kalkbrenner, Johann Nepomuk Hummel and Carl Czerny attended courses which he held in Paris, Vienna, St. Petersburg, Berlin, Prague, Rome and Milan.
Clementi, who not only produced his own brand of pianos, was also a music publisher. It was thanks to this extra activity of his that many pieces of music by contemporary and non-contemporary authors were brought to light. Much more than just a simple musician, Clementi was sought after by the aristocrats of high society.
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