Muzio Clementi and British Musical Culture

Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) achieved notable success in a diversity of activities that centred mainly on the piano. This book explores Clementi’s multivalent contribution to piano performance, pedagogy, composition and manufacture in relation to British musical life and its international dimensions. An overriding purpose is to interrogate when, how and to what extent a distinctive British musical culture emerged in the early nineteenth century. Much recent work on Clementi has centred on the Italian National Edition of his complete works; several chapters report on this project, whilst continuing to pursue the book’s broader themes.