Description
One of the pieces in Muzio Clementi's Introduction to the Art of Playing on the Piano Forte, Op. 42, published in London in 1801. The method opens with fingering rules and scales before setting out some fifty short lessons in order of difficulty; translated across Europe through the nineteenth century, it became one of the most widely used piano tutors of its time.
In C major and duple meter. At thirty-six notes and around ten seconds, it is the shortest piece in the collection. In the eighteenth century a prelude meant less a work than a short introduction to fix the key in the ear and the hand, and that is exactly what this is: one circuit through the principal chords of C major, broken into single notes.
A beginner piece, usable both as reading practice and as a way of settling the hand into the position C major asks for. Being this short, it lets you concentrate on holding one volume and one speed from the first note to the last. Its proper use is as a warm-up before whatever comes next.
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 →