CLEMENTI, Mnzio, kla-men'te, Italian pianist and composer: b. Rome 1752; d. Eves ham, England, 10 March 1832. He studied under a relative, Buroni, and in 1761 became H an organist. e studied counterpoint with Carpani and singing with Santarelli. As early as his 12th year he wrote a successful mass for four voices, and had made such progress in the pianoforte that an Englishman, Mr. Beckford, took him to England to complete his studies. He was then engaged as director of the orches tra of the opera in London, and his fame hav ing rapidly increased, he went in 1780 to Paris, and in 1781 to Vienna, where he played in a con test with Mozart before the emperor. In 1784 he repeated his visit to Paris, but after that remained in England till 1802, when he went back to the Continent. He returned in 1810 to England, where he settled down as superin tendent of one of the principal musical estab lishments in London, and after the failure of his concern formed a partnership with Collard.
He was absorbed in the mechanical perfection of the piano and also with the writing of theo retical works. As a teacher he was unequaled. His most important compositions were his 60 sonatas for the pianoforte and the great collec tion of studies known as the ad Par nassum,' a work of high educative value. He represented perhaps the highest point of tech nique of his day, and his influence on modern execution has led to his being characterized as athe father of pianoforte playing.a Among his pupils are Field, Cramer, Moscheles, Kalk brenner and Meyerbeer. He was interred in Westminster Abbey. Consult Ferris, Violinists and Pianists> (New York 1894) ; Shedlock, 'The Pianoforte Sonata' (London 1895) ; Frojo, (Muzio Clementi, la sua vita, le sue opere e la sua influenza sul progresso dell' ante' (Milan 1878).