Muzio Clementi: Piano Sonatas

I think Clementi's sonatas are really great. They are classical, but they have that Romantic passion in them. One can see that they influenced Beethoven. :D

I'm so glad you posted this. Amen, brother!

Clementi's sonatas are unjustly neglected, full stop. Like a lot of guys in that period, his only failing was that he wasn't Mozart, Haydn or Beethoven. He was a piano virtuoso acknowledged to be the equal of Mozart in nearly every respect, and as you rightly point out, his music is full of romantic fire and a flair all his own that I can't easily articulate.

I'm getting so sick of that little Classical cabal - particularly Wolfgang and Ludwig - that I go out of my way to listen to and purchase music from less known masters from the same period. And flat out, I often like it better.

We're so conditioned to hear the sounds that Mozart and Beethoven produced and equate them with perfection, that there is a whole world of marvelous music out there that we judge inferior out-of-hand, simply because it doesn't adhere to the same set of values. That Mozart and Beethoven were geniuses is unequivocal. That they were the only guys on the block who wrote anything worth listening to between 1775 and 1825 is rubbish, and I'm really glad that particularly individuals and groups specialising in early music are rediscovering the music of guys like Clementi - to name just one of a couple hundred - and making it more available to us than it once was.

I recently was able to get my hands on facsimiles of the first (and probably only) edition of the Opus 1 Trio Sonatas of Francesco Zappa - an Italian composer so obscure that we don't even know exactly when he was born and died, and who is today only remembered in a dubious way through the resemblance of his name to the American composer Frank Zappa (who released a goofy sinclavier recording of the same sonatas in 1984). With the intent to publish, I am preparing an edition of these in my spare time, and it's been a revelation. Zappa was not a great composer by any standard established by Mozart or Beethoven worship, but the independence of his creative thought and the pure individuality of the music has been a valuable discovery for me. I hope to resurrect more forgotten music and make it available. Not everything that is gathering dust deserves to be there.

Amen to that!

I noticed that Beethoven's Sonata, Op. 79 is very much inspired by the last movement of Clementi's Op. 25 No. 5 as well:

YouTube - Brendel plays Beethoven Piano Sonata No.25 in G Major, Op.79 - 1. Presto alla tedesca

YouTube - Muzio Clementi -Sonata Op_25 No_5

Rather interesting...

I totally agree with you Graham! There's such an amount of GREAT music written by many composers that it is just a shame they are not as known as the usual 3 known Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn.

The worse thing is that people of today, because of misleading informations and also the lack of them in certain degrees, have matured an idea of impossibility to compare their works (of the known ones) to those of these less known ones, and it is just totally unfair.

I know that these big names have written very great music, but it is not true that they always did, and also the less known ones have written in the same way, great works and less good works, that we could call "routine-works" just to make the day, so to speak.

and I think that we could compare the amount of music and the request of music of that time to what it happens today with pop music.

There are 1.000.000.000.000.000.000.000 bands all over the world, and they all do music that is quite alike, but some bands do it better and some others do it less good, but just because we compare it with the ones we think are great. And in the same way happened during the 18th century, thousands of composers that wrote in the same way, spread over Europe and working to make the day and elaborating the kind of "language" that was common to all of them, taking ideas from one another and combining them in the best way they could, and then, who was smarter (that is more creative) could manage to work that material in a way it seemed always new and innovative, and some others that weren't this good and did less creative music, but still all good MUSIC WORTH LISTENING.

You know something's wrong when even Hummel is pretty ignored these days...

Haven't heard any of Clementi's sonatas, but I will check them out.

its sad how some kids these days always think of Clementi's sonatinas whenever they hear the name "Clementi". and they go "ew." =.=

Do most kids think about Clementi at all?

Agreed! Clementi's piano music is largely shunned. I also hate that "triumvate" idea of the classical period being solely in the hands of beethoven-mozart-haydn. I also hate that stupid idea of the three "B"s (bach-beethoven-brahms). I believe that every musician deserves at least a certain degree of appreciation if not respect for their works.

Well Clementi's sonatas to the general music public are neglected BUT you will find he is given his due in Grout/Palisca History of Western Music.

I'm more of a fan of his Sonatinas, myself:

Op. 36, No. 1-6!

The "No. 1" is overplayed, even for Clementi. I guess its just his trademark piece though.