Muzio Clementi was born in Rome on January 23, 1752. He was the oldest of seven children and his father was a silversmith. Clementi's muscial studies started when he was quite young, first under the mentorship of Antonio Buroni, then Cordicelli, Giuseppi Santarelli, and possibly Gaetano Carpani (Bower 484). He became the church organist for S Lorezno in Damaso in 1766. That same year, Clementi caught the ear of an English traveler, Peter Beckford, who himself said that he 'bought Clementi of his father for seven years' (Bower 485). Beckford took Clementi to his home estate in Dorset, where he stayed for the next seven years studying the harpsichord. During this time and before age 22, he possibly wrote a mass and oratorio, as well as eight keyboard sonatas (Bower 485).

In 1774, Clementi moved to London where he made his first known public appearance as a harpsichordist. He made few concert appearances after that, until the popularity of his sonatas op.2 arose from 1779 to 1780

"CLEMENTI. An Italian. Has composed some setts of lessons, which abound in passages so peculiar and difficult, that it is evident they must have been practised for years preceding their publication. We particularly allude to the succession of octaves with which he has crammed his lessons. Mr. C. executes these exceedingly well, and is a most brilliant performer" (Bower 485).

Clementi also composed some 100 sonatas, as well as fugues, variations, and preludes among other pieces (Thompson 432). He was married twice. His first wife, a German, died during childbirth. He married again in 1811 and had four children. As a director for the Philharmonic Society, Clementi was one of the last to direct from the keyboard. Clementi was hailed, in his later years, with such titles as, 'father of the pianoforte,' and, 'father of the pianoforte sonata.' Muzio Clementi died in Evesham on March 10, 1832.

Wier, Albert E. "Clementi, Muzio." The MacMillian Encyclopedia of Music and Musicians. 1938 ed.

Bower, Calvin. "Clementi, Muzio." New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 1980 ed.

Westrup, J.A. "Clementi, Muzio." The New College Encyclopedia of Music. 1976 ed.

Thompson, Oscar. "Clementi, Muzio." The International Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians. 11th ed.

Clementi was a musician whose composition and performance style influenced generations of musicians well into the nineteenth century. His music, especially Gradus ad Parnasum, remains a must in any pianists' repertoire of technical study today.

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