Clementi, Muzio << klay MEHN tee or kluh MEHN tee, MOO tsyoh >> (1752-1832), was an Italian composer best known for his piano music. Clementi was also a successful pianist, conductor, and manufacturer of pianos. His Gradus ad Parnassum (1817-1826) is a significant collection of 100 piano studies still used by students to develop their technique. Clementi’s works also include more than 60 sonatas for piano or harpsichord, and about 40 sonatas for piano and other instruments. His compositions helped establish techniques for playing the piano, which was replacing the harpsichord as the most important keyboard instrument in the late 1700’s.
Clementi was born on Jan. 23, 1752, in Rome. At the age of 14, he was taken to England to study music. In 1773, he made his London debut as a pianist and composer. In 1780 and 1781, he toured Europe as a piano soloist. He performed in a piano contest against Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1781 at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II. Clementi lived in England from 1810 until his death on March 10, 1832.
