Florence Wilshire

Muzio Clementi was one of the most talented, influential, and versatile musicians of his era. Born in Rome on June 23, 1752, Clementi began his musical career as a church organist there when he was only thirteen, but he spent most of his adolescence in the service of Peter Beckford, an Englishman who heard him play in Rome. In 1774 Clementi left Beckford's country house and settled in London, where he quickly established himself as a leading harpsichordist, pianist, and composer. He lived in England for most of his life, although he made several notable concert tours of the European continent. (The first of these tours, in 1780, featured a celebrated piano-playing contest between Clementi and Mozart, before an audience that included the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II as well as the future Tsar Paul of Russia.) Clementi's work as a composer, performer, and teacher brought him a substantial income, and he invested much of it in business; he became a very successful music publisher and piano manufacturer. Clementi died in Evesham, England on March 10, 1832, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Florence Wilshire, Clementi's great-granddaughter, did extensive research on the life of her famous ancestor, but her biography was never published.

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