Franz Josef Clement

Austrian pianist, violinist, composer and conductor Franz Josef Clement was born on 17 (or possibly 18) November 1780. He became known for being able to play complex works from memory after viewing them only briefly, and for showy antics such as playing his violin upside-down.

He met Beethoven in 1794, and they became friends. Clement, having already written a Violin Concerto in D of his own, went on to commission and give the first performance of Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D.

Franz Clement died on 3 November 1842, aged sixty-one.

A selection of articles about Franz Josef Clement

CD Spotlight. Empathetic Performances - Beethoven and Clement violin concertos, heard by the late Howard Smith. '... Barton-Pine's faultlessly sculpted performance is unequivocally persuasive ...'