A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Clement, Franz
CLEMENT, Franz, an eminent violin-player, was born in 1780 at Vienna, where his father was butler in a nobleman's establishment, and at the same time, after the fashion of the period, a member of his master's private band. His father and Kurzweil, the leader of another nobleman's band, were his teachers. Clement began to play the violin when he was only four, and at the age of seven made his first successful appearance in public at a concert in the Imperial Opera-house. He soon began to travel with his father, and in 1790 came to London, were he gave very successful concerts, some of which were conducted by Haydn and Salomon. He also played at Oxford at the second concert given in celebration of Haydn's installation as Doctor of Music. Having returned to Vienna he was appointed Solo-player to the Emperor, and in 1802 conductor of the newly established theatre 'an der Wien,' which post he retained till 1811. From 1812 to 1818 he travelled in Russia and Germany, and then again for three years conducted the Opera in Vienna. In 1821 he began to travel with the celebrated singer Catalani, conducting her concerts, and also was for a short time conductor of the Opera at Prague. He died in poor circumstances at Vienna in 1842.
Clement was not only a remarkable violin-player, but an unusually gifted musician. Some curious facts are reported, bearing testimony to his general musical ability and especially to his prodigious memory. Spohr, in his Autobiography, relates that Clement after having heard two rehearsals and one performance of the oratorio 'The Last Judgment,' remembered it so well, that he was able on the day after the performance to play several long pieces from it on the piano without leaving out a note, and with all the harmonies (no small item in a composition of Spohr's) and accompanying passages; and all this without ever having seen the score. Similarly he was said to have made a piano-score of the 'Creation' from memory, after having heard the oratorio a few times, merely with the help of the book of words, and that his arrangement was so good that Haydn adopted it for publication. If Weber, in one of his published letters, does not speak highly of Clement as a conductor, it must be remembered that Weber's criticism was seldom unbiassed, and that he probably felt some satisfaction at Clement's want of success at Prague, where he was Weber's successor.
Clement's style was not vigorous, nor his tone very powerful: gracefulness and tenderness of expression were its main characteristics. His technical skill appears to have been extraordinary. His intonation was perfect in the most hazardous passages, and his bowing of the greatest dexterity. Beethoven himself has borne the highest testimony to his powers by writing especially for him his great Violin-concerto. The original manuscript of this greatest of all violin-concertos, which is preserved in the imperial library at Vienna, bears this inscription in Beethoven's own handwriting:—'Concerto par Clemenza pour Clement, primo violino e Direttore al Theatro à Vienne dal L. v. Bthvn., 1806.' Clement was the first who played it in public, on Dec. 23rd. 1806.
If we hear that in later years Clement's style deteriorated considerably, and that he yielded to a lamentable degree to the temptation of showing off his technical skill by the performance of mere tours de force unworthy of an earnest musician, we may ascribe it to his unsteady habits of life, which brought him into difficulties, from which he had to extricate himself at any price. But the tendency showed itself early. It is difficult to believe, if we had not the programme still to refer to, that at the concert at which he played Beethoven's Concerto for the first time, he also performed a set of variations 'mit umgekehrter Violine'—with the violin upside down.
He published for the violin 25 concertinos, 6 concertos, 12 studies, a great number of airs variés and smaller pieces. For the piano, a concerto. For orchestra, three overtures. For the stage, an opera and the music for a melodrame. All these works are however entirely forgotten.