Clementi's Selection of Practical Harmony for the Organ or Piano Forte

The Selection of Practical Harmony is the result of Clementi collecting manuscript music during his frequent trips across Europe (1780–1784, 1784–1785, 1802–1810). It is in 4 volumes (1801, 1802, 1802, 1814) and contains works by 25 composers (other than Clementi). Click on relevant sections in the table below to access PDF scores. Alternatively, access whole volumes or detailed contents.

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Composers Total number of pages Works
AGOSTINI, Paolo (1583–1629) 1 line
ALBRECHTSBERGER, Johann Georg (1736-1809), ‘composer of the Cathedral at Vienna’ 83 pages
  • vol.1, p. 51–75: 9 Fugues;
  • vol.2, p. 2–15: 6 Fugues;
  • vol.4, p. 78–121: 21 Fugues, with 6 of them preceded by a ‘Cadenza or Prelude’ (Fugues 7–12) and another 6 by a ‘Prelude’ alone (Fugues 13–18). The last 3 Fugues end vol.4 of the Selection: ‘Christus resurrexit’, ‘Alleluja’, and another ‘Alleluja’ (‘Ite Missa est’).
BACH, Carl Philip Emanuel (1714–1788), ‘2nd son of Seb. Bach’ 80 pages
  • vol.1: 2 Canons (p. 31 and p. 34), 2 Minuets (p. 36), and from p. 110 to 126: 1 Voluntary (A major), 2 Fugues, 1 Fantasia and Fugue (G minor), 1 Voluntary and Fugue;
  • vol.2, p. 45–64: 1 Fantasia and Fugue (C minor), 1 Fantasia (C major), 1 Voluntary (the famous 'Solfeggietto' in C minor), 1 Fugue, 1 Sonata 'composed expressly for the Organ' (B flat major: Allegro - Arioso e cantabile - Allegro);
  • vol.3, p. 47–87: 1 Fantasia (C minor), 1 Adagio affettuoso e sostenuto, 1 Fugue, 1 Rondo, 1 Fantasia (C major), 1 Fugue on the name of 'BACH', 1 Allegro assai, 1 Andantino con moto, 1 Presto, 1 Allegro spiritoso, 1 Sonata (F major: Allegro moderato - Allegro) and 1 Sinfonia (F major: Allegro di molto - Andante - Allegro assai).
BACH, Johann Christian (1735-1782), 'youngest son of Seb. Bach' 13 pages
BACH, Johann Christoph Friedrich (1732-1795), '3rd son of Seb. Bach' 14 pages
BACH, Johann Ernst (1722-1777) 5 pages
BACH, Johann Sebastian (1685-1750) 32 pages
BACH, Wilhelm Friedemann (1710-1784), 'eldest son of Seb. Bach' 45 pages
  • vol.3, p. 2–46: 9 Fugues, 1 Capriccio, 13 Polonaises (6 of them coupled in 3 pairs), 1 Adagio, and 1 Vivace.
CARESANA, Cristoforo (1640-1709) 1 page
CLEMENTI, Muzio (1752-1832) 6 pages
EBERLIN, Johann Ernst (1702-1762) 47 pages
  • vol.1, p. 76–102: 5 Voluntary and Fugues;
  • vol.2, p. 16–35: 4 Voluntary and Fugues.
FASCH, Carl Friedrich Christian (1736-1760) 1 line
  • vol.1, p. 31: 1 Canon 'per diminutionem'.
FRESCOBALDI, Girolamo (1583-1643), referred to as 'the celebrated Girolamo Frescobaldi, who flourished about the beginning of the seventeenth century, and was organist of St Peter's Church at Rome' 20 pages
HANDEL, Georg Frideric (1685-1759) 27 pages
  • vol.1, p. 36–37: 1 Fugue (2 voices);
  • vol.2, p. 74–99: 11 Fugues.
HAYDN, Franz Joseph (1732-1809) 1 page
KIRNBERGER, Johann Philip (1721-1783) 24 pages
MARPURG, Friedrich Wilhelm (1718-1795) 2 pages
  • vol.1, p. 106–107: 1 Prelude and Fugue.
MARTINI, (Padre) Giovanni Battista (1706-1784), referred to as the 'celebrated Padre Martini' 106 pages
  • vol.1, p. 32: 1 Canon;
  • vol.2, p. 100–129: 4 sonatas:
    1. F minor: Prelude - Fugue - Siciliana (Adagio) - Corrente - Gavotta;
    2. G minor: Prelude - Fugue - Adagio - Allegro - Sarabanda;
    3. A major: Prelude - Fugue - Adagio - Allegro - Balletto;
    4. E minor: Prelude - Fugue;
  • vol.4, p. 2–77: 9 sonatas:
    1. E minor: Adagio - Allegro - Aria, with 4 variations - Minuet;
    2. B minor: Prelude - Allegro - Adagio - Gigue - Aria;
    3. D major: Prelude - Allegro - Adagio - Corrente - Aria;
    4. D minor: Prelude - Allegro moderato - Adagio - Gavotta - Corrente ('Canon ad diapason intensum');
    5. B flat major: Prelude - Allegro - Sarabande - Corrente - Gigue;
    6. G major: Prelude - Allegro - Andante - Allemanda - Minuet;
    7. C minor: Prelude - Allegro - Adagio - Allegro - Aria;
    8. C major: Prelude - Allegro - Adagio - Allegro - Aria;
    9. F major: Grave - Allegro - Allemanda - Aria.
MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791) 11 pages
PERTI, Giacomo Antonio (1661-1756) 3 lines
  • vol.1, p. 33: 1 Fugue (3 voices).
PORPORA, Nicola (1686-1768) 13 pages
  • vol.1, p. 38–50: 6 Fugues ('rather Fugatos'), the last one with the title 'Fuga Diatonica, Enarmonica, Cromatica'.
SCARLATTI, Alessandro (1660-1725), 'father to Domenico Scarlatti' 2 pages
SCARLATTI, Domenico (1685-1757), 'the celebrated Performer on the Harpsichord and Organ' 6 pages
TELEMANN, Georg Philipp (1681-1767) 1 page
  • vol.1, p. 75: 1 Fughetta.
TURINI, Francesco (1589-1656) 1 line
  • vol.1, p. 31: 1 Canon (in 4 parts).
UMSTATT, Joseph (1711-1762) 3 pages
  • vol.1, p. 103–105: 1 Voluntary and Fugue.

1 Plantinga, Leon, ‘Clementi, Virtuosity, and the «German Manner»’, in Journal of the American Musicological Society, vol. 25, No. 3 (Autumn 1972), p. 327. The information is also found in Plantinga, Leon, Clementi: His Life and Music (London: Oxford University Press, 1977), p. 188 (footnote 42).

© Jeremy Eskenazi 2015