Muzio Clementi

Biography

Muzio Clementi, a virtuoso and composer whose compositions were published by the piano-making firm Longman & Broderip, had become wealthy and invested part of his money in their piano factory. He then associated himself with F. W. & W. P. Collard under the firm name Clementi & Company; his reputation as virtuoso and composer was a distinct advantage to the young firm, though its lasting fame rested on F. W. Collard's mechanical and inventive genius. Upon Clementi's retirement the firm became Collard & Collard. Separately, the text notes that John Broadwood built his pianos under the advice and according to the demands of Clementi and other piano masters of the day. From Spillane (1890): Clementi, described by Spillane as 'the celebrated pianist and composer,' founded the house of Collard in 1800 in collaboration with Frederick W. Collard, a practical student of pianoforte building. He had previously been connected with the firm of Longman & Lakey but transferred his name and influence to the new Collard establishment, which quickly gained prominence owing to Clementi's drawing power as a friend of the leading people of the period. In time Clementi dropped out of the firm, which subsequently passed through several name changes before settling on the household name Collard & Collard.

Highlights

• A wealthy virtuoso and composer who invested part of his fortune in the piano factory of his publishers, Longman & Broderip
• Joined F. W. & W. P. Collard to form the firm Clementi & Company, precursor to Collard & Collard
• His demands and standards as one of the day's piano masters guided John Broadwood's own piano-building
• Founded the house of Collard in 1800 in collaboration with Frederick W. Collard, having previously been connected with the firm of Longman & Lakey
• His fame as a celebrated pianist and composer, and his friendships among the leading people of the period, drove early prominence for the new firm
• Eventually dropped out of the business, which continued under other names before becoming Collard & Collard

Sources

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. I (1911), p. 245.

Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), p. 31.

Public domain.