Piano Sonata in C major, Op.2 No.2

Historical context

Clementi composed his 3 Piano Sonatas, Op. 2, at the young age of eighteen. This significant work, as a book notes, “became the model for all sonatas for the piano.” It was published three years after its composition. Upon its release, the sonatas garnered considerable admiration; as a book recounts, “All artists spoke of this work with admiration, and Charles Emmanuel Bach, a competent judge, gave it the highest praise.”

The work’s lasting impact is further underscored by its connection to later composers. As “the book” notes, three of Field’s four sonatas for piano were dedicated to Clementi, a testament to the influence of this early and foundational collection of sonatas.

Drawn from François-Joseph Fétis, Biographie universelle des musiciens et bibliographie générale de la musique, Vol. 3 (1837); George Grove; J. A. Fuller-Maitland (ed.), Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.), Vol. 2 (1906) — public domain, archive.org.