Clementi | Sonatinas (6), Op. 36

Every student of classical piano has learned at least one of Muzio Clementi's six ‘progressive’ Sonatinas, Op. 36. The pieces were originally published in 1797 and have all but replaced his Gradus ad Parnassum as his most famous work. Clementi intended them as teaching tools for the burgeoning amateur pianist public. It is a credit to him that they are still used just as he intended. They are ‘progressive’ in that the difficulty of the sonatinas increases with each subsequent one. The first contains little for the left hand to do, but in the sixth there are more complex rhythms, phrasing and accompaniment, with the left hand taking the melody in a couple of spots. The emphasis throughout all is on basic piano skills: dynamic control, even touch and melodic phrasing. However, within each one there are more specific lessons on ornamentation, arm and wrist motion, arpeggios and more.