ABSTRACT
In his Musical Characteristics Op. 19, published in London in 1787, Muzio Clementi is thought to have initiated the notion of crafting a series of keyboard extemporisations that intentionally imitated the styles of his contemporaries. Comprising a collection of ‘Preludes and Cadences for the Harpsichord or Piano Forte’, Clementi developed and polished an initially improvisatory art- form into a repeatable and marketable work. The publication essentially ‘characterised’ the compositional nuances of the revered Haydn, Ko�eluch, Mozart, Sterkel and Vanhal; as Clementi appeared as the sixth associated composer, the Musical Characteristics might be construed as astute self-publicity, confirmed by the number of international editions produced thereafter. However unusual the ‘characterful’ presentation, it remains a pedagogical work, extending a long-standing tradition. By viewing Clementi’s preludes and cadenzas, including those from his Introduction to the Art of Playing on the Piano Forte (1801), alongside others in contemporary instruction books, the educational properties are demonstrated. Clementi’s skill in preluding influenced those who followed in this since-neglected art. His preludes provided a number of ready examples to be plucked and inserted at will, whilst the more advanced might appreciate their design, employing the model in matching the style of their own improvisations to the work they enhanced. Whilst the Musical Characteristics are not unknown to current players and scholars, they deserve further consideration of context, purpose, and consequence. Drawing on previous work by Nicholas Temperley, Leon Plantinga, Alan Tyson and Eva Badura-Skoda, in addition to the recent Ut Orpheus edition of Clementi’s keyboard compositions, this essay aims to display the multi-faceted value of these unique preludes, and argues that when presented as originally intended, before and within a sonata, they not only showcase Clementi’s own virtuosic keyboard skills, and his masterly grasp of pastiche, but they also highlight his pedagogic experience and expertise.
