Saturday, April 23, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Interview
Interviewing Muzio Clementi
KW1: What role did mentors play in helping you develop the interests and talents you have as an artist?
Muzio Clementi: My father was probably the biggest part of my playing. We had a piano in our house and I started playing once for no reason. I was about 6 when he heard me playing and he declared I had musical talent. He got me into private music lessons with one of my relatives, Antonio Baroni. Around age 7, I studied in figured bass with the organist Cordicelli. Soon after, I took vocal lessons from Giuseppe Santarelli. Then, at age 11, I was given counterpoint lessons from Gaetano Carpani.
I studied with Sir Peter Beckford in his beautiful estate in London. He supported me for 7 years. He was a wealthy English voyager. He agreed to provide payments for my studies. Really, if it weren’t for the people in my life, I would’ve never excelled as a piano player.
KW1: What was the world of art like in your particular art field when you entered it?
Clementi: Well, there was a lot of competition. A lot of people wanted to be involved in music and it takes a lot of devotion to keep up, but indeed it is worth it to keep up. I was one of the lucky people to get noticed and get somewhere with it. At the time, it was very expensive to get a piano and then to pay for lessons and music. It was very hard for anyone. But, my dad saw talent in me so he kept up on trying to get me into the arts.
It doesn’t get any easier once you start to play. You have to keep it up and make sure you don’t disappoint your audience or your career would be over. It took a lot of work for me. I had lessons starting at age 7 and I practiced at least 8 hours a day. I worked hard, and one day, while I was playing, Sir Peter Beckford found me and was impressed. Some people aren’t that lucky.
KW1: What were your major accomplishments and the methods you used in your art?
Clementi: My favorite is in 1781 when I had a huge competition against Mozart. I played the piano sonata in B flat major and he played a series of variations. The emperor declared a tie. Mozart was so upset that he didn’t win, he wrote a letter to his father saying, “Clementi plays well, as far as execution with the right hand goes. His greatest strength lies in his passage of 3rds. Apart from that, he has not a kreuzer’s worth of taste or feeling. In short he is a mere mechanicus.” In another letter later on he wrote, “Clementi is a charlatan, like all Italians.” I never said anything mean about him. He’s pretty bad spirited. I’d consider that a major accomplishment.
As of methods, I composed a lot of exercises to help me and my students excel in their technique. The exercises helped prepare for the sonatas. With enough practice, you could play any piece more easily.
KW1: What were the key opportunities you had that led to turning points in your life and art?
Clementi: When I first started lessons was a big one. Then, when I moved in with Sir Peter Beckford changed a lot. Moving from Rome to London is a huge change. Playing just to play to being an entertainer for his estate is a lot different then you’d expect. I mean who knew? I was just a little kid climbing onto the piano bench and pressing keys. I didn’t know what I was doing, but it sounded good. In 1807, Ludwig van Beethoven gave me publishing rights to all his music.
But, everyone has to retire sometime and I was getting old. So, in 1810 I stopped playing concerts and put full devotion to composition and piano making. It was nice to have time to myself. I could create better compositions and nicer pianos with all the extra time I had.
KW1: What personal choices did you make to become successful?
Clementi: I would’ve taken over my father’s trait if I hadn’t followed my path of being a musician. I had to choose if I wanted to take over the family business or play the instrument I love. I was the one that was supposed to take over the family business but my dad didn’t seem to mind that much.
I didn’t have many choices to make though. My dad was pretty sure of what he wanted to do and I enjoyed playing and I had a lot of supporters. Life was good, if I must admit. I had to choose if I was willing to devote all my time into playing. It didn’t take much for me to know what I wanted. I was young when I had finally decided what I wanted, though, my father has told me when I was around 4, I wanted to be a fireman!
KW1: What hardships or roadblocks did you have to overcome in order to be an artist?
Clementi: I felt that my parents were getting further away from my reach. Though I did have a lot of support from them, I didn't get to see them much due to my lessons and practicing and later on writing pieces and piano producing. I was pulled out of my household early on in my life too. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice life, I just wish I had been able to know my parents like I know my music.
The competition made things a little hard too. With people like Mozart saying those mean things about me to his family not having another piano player's support, it made things a little more difficult. I believe that Mozart was a great pianist and I wish I could've been his friend, but he obviously wishes not. Everything works itself out though. I have the support I need from my teachers and parents and friends.
KW1: What kind of limitations did you run into as both an artist and a person?
Clementi: You have to know your limits. You have to know that not everyone is going to like you, and those people that don't like you are going to do whatever they can to bring you down. I have learned that the nicer you are to people, the more people like you. But, still and all, there will be people who don't like you, and you should learn that you should listen to their words, even if you dislike them, and choose to either listen to it or not.
I didn't really run into that many limitations throughout my life, though. Most of the audience wanted to here me and came to here me and I was brought to be known as "Father of Romantic pianistic virtuosity" and many other names. My reputation remains, even now that I have retired to continue my studies in my parlor, and it is second to no other then Joseph Hayden. Indeed, I knew my limits so I didn't try to cross them and didn't run into them. I had to think, "What would the audience like? What is my future generation going to like then?" It's not the easiest thing to think about, but it all came to me.
KW1: What personal stories best illustrate how you became successful in the arts?
Clementi: well, I’ve pretty much answered this question in other questions, but I'd say my duel with Mozart and declared as a tie. It was close and we were both good. The emperor was the one judging us, and I think that declares talent too. I started taking lessons at age 7 too, and my first piano performance was at age 18. I started young, which doesn't necessarily say that I'm good, but it says I have experience, which is a major key in being successful.
I played at a church as a little child, which gave me early performing experience. I studied with a rich voyager (brother of a novelist) Sir Peter Beckford. He tried what ever he could to help me succeed and gave me a lot of musical instruction. My life pretty much circled around music at that time. Ludwig van Beethoven gave me publishing rights to all of his music, stating how much he admired me and how much HE thought I was successful, which meant a lot to me.
KW1: What events in your early life made you get interested in the arts?
Clementi: There weren't really any events per se. I started at a young age and that's pretty much what started it all. With my dad seeing my talent and him giving me lessons, I had no other choice then to be interested in music. Music made the day seem to go by so much more smoothly. If I didn't play piano or some sort of instrument, I'd be out of it all day until I touched the keys. Music must just be in my blood.
I had connections, and that was an important thing. I had relatives that were music teachers and they knew people, so I had many recommendations. Getting so much in so little time definitely helps you become interested in something quickly.
KW1: How did the major cultural, economic, and political situations of the time impact your work?
Clementi: Things could be difficult at times, but everything seemed to work itself out. The price on pianos actually help me out, since I sell pianos of my own. I give my customers the quality they need in the piano for the equal price of the time. It was kind of hard to find customers at time, though. People would look at my models, and then walk out since it was a poor time. Things eventually got better and prices were able to go down. A lot of people didn't buy pianos unless they actually wanted to be famous and make a career out of it though. It's not that they didn't want to, it's just they couldn't afford to.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Muzio Clementi - Symphony No.3 in G-major "The Great National" (2/5)
This is my Symphony no.3 in G major also known as The Great National. This is probably my favorite symphony I've written. I just love the way it sounds.
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