A Case for Clementi: Educational and Musical Genius 

Clementi became a staple in my music diet when I was around 13 years old. My first teacher nearly ruined the Sonatinas for me sadly due to the typical music teacher who has to give out the works because the student is at that age and stage in their musical journey rather than to introduce them as beautiful keyboard works to enjoy. She had had me play them without emotion as though I as beating them because she was probably bored with teaching them. A few years later I was studying with another teacher who took the pieces from a different approach, and rather than hating them as I banged through them I enjoyed them immensely. Today these pieces along with the rest of his sonatas are something to marvel. They're not just beautiful they're also fun and enjoyable to play. In them are nuggets of Beethoven, Haydn, and even sometimes Mozart, but mostly Beethoven who admired Clementi and was influenced by his music.

Mozart Nocturnes??? :O (...had he lived as long as Clementi...) Wim, that thought brings me a joy beyond description. Thank you very, very much for leading your viewers, to such an interesting avenue of thought. Excellent as always !

His fourth symphony is a "MUST HEAR" work.

Thats great Wim ...the Clementi sonatinas are great .. well played .. :)

I was not familiar with Clementi until you uploaded your recording of the sonatine, which I enjoyed very much. They have renewed my interest in piano practise after I started exploring them today. It's almost scary how well your discussion in the video matches my own thoughts.

Thanks for sharing these ideas

I had never heard of Clementi until about 6 months ago when someone suggested the sonatinas as suitable for 'advanced beginners'. These pieces are absolutely brillant and have everything I could wish for. Beautiful music that is a joy to pay, techncally in the"Goldilocks" zone (not too easy and not too difficult, but just right), excellent practice for sight-reading and not all that difficult to memorize. I think they sound even more charming and beautiful on a clavichord.

The sonatinas are really beautiful. I studied 3 of them and it was a real pleasure. I wonder if you ever read through Handel's Great 8 suites. They are in my opinion one of the highest points of baroque keyboard music and are very interesting from the perspective of keyboard technique (some pieces are really difficult and require a great handspan!). I am suggesting this because the joy and elevation I get from playing and listening to that music is absolutely immense! I can find in them almost every single affect, every extrovert or introvert feeling, every public or intimate message.

Enjoy your channel! Just found it..... Did I not read that Clementi and Mozart had a keyboard "duel" like the old west? Clementi walk away as the winner! And who is the household name today? Herr Mozart! Is there not room at the table for Mr. Clementi today?

I play piano for 3 years so doing your little improvisations during repetitions is something extremely difficult for me. I would like to know if you prepare them and train them before adding them to the piece or it's just so simple for you that do not even think about it. I can do these little improvisations when I play popular music on piano but I don't have the complex understanding in classical music yet.

Hello Wim: I think "miniaturist" is the word you're looking for. It is used to refer to miniaturist painters, and so forth.

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Who thumbs down these videos?? Has to be a mis-click

I am really glad you speak so highly of the Father of the Pianoforte, but it should be stressed that the Sonatine are only a very tiny part of his output, which encompasses 100 sonatas. I am afraid that, historically, only focusing on his educational works (including the Gradus) has caused the rest to be neglected, and that is an utter shame. This, combined with Mozart’s unfair comments contributed to build an image of Clementi as little more than a skilled teacher, whereas today it can be clearly seen that his best sonate are way more interesting and progressive than those of many of his contemporaries, including but not limited to his illustrious Christmas Eve’s rival, who on the other hand had a much more conservative approach and thus never really understood Clementi’s revolutionary technique. Fortunately, Beethoven and all his major contemporaries recognised Clementi’s importance from the very beginning, and took in all they could. This influence resonates in all late classical and romantic literature, and it would be impossible to imagine the modern piano without his pivotal contribution.