Gavotta No.2 (after Corelli)
Muzio Clementi (1801)
Description
A second gavotte after Corelli. Clementi's Op. 42 sometimes takes several pieces from the same composer, so that a pupil meets one idiom more than once. At 144 notes and under twenty seconds, this is among the shortest things in the collection.
In E major and duple meter — a key of four sharps, an unusual choice for a beginner's piece. Clementi's method did not restrict itself to keys with few accidentals; it mixed in sharp and flat keys from early on. The melody is short and built mainly on repetition.
A beginner piece. Easy in itself, though fingers unused to keys with black notes will tangle. It is quicker to fix the fingering of an E major scale first and then come to the page. Being so short, it is worth using repeatedly as material for getting comfortable in the key.
A piano method Clementi published in 1801, comprising 50 lessons that arrange famous Baroque and Classical works for solo piano.
Browse all songs in Introduction to the Art of Playing on the Piano Forte Op.42 →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Muzio Clementi (1752-1832)
Muzio Clementi was born in Rome and moved to England while still young, building a career in London as a pianist, composer, and instrument manufacturer. Often called the "father of the pianoforte," he wrote the study collection Gradus ad Parnassum and numerous sonatinas that remain staples of piano pedagogy. This site includes pieces from his Op. 42 tutor, built on "Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman" and melodies by Haydn and Mozart, along with movements from the Sonatina, Op. 36, No. 1.
View all works by Clementi →