Muzio Filippo Vincenzo Francesco Saverio Clementi was born on January 23, 1752, in Italy and later became a composer, pianist, teacher, conductor, music publisher, editor, and piano maker in England. His father encouraged him to study music, and with the support of Sir Peter Beckford, Clementi moved to England for further study. From his base in London, he traveled across Europe many times, including a noted piano contest with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1781. Clementi's musical style was influenced by several important figures such as Domenico Scarlatti, Joseph Haydn, Johann Christian Bach, and Ignazio Cirri. Combining these influences, he developed a smooth and skilled way of playing the piano that he passed on to many students. Some of his notable students were John Field, Johann Baptist Cramer, Ignaz Moscheles, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Friedrich Kalkbrenner, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, and Carl Czerny. He also had a strong impact on the famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven. In addition to composing and teaching, Clementi created and promoted his own piano brand and was active in the music publishing business. Thanks to his publishing work, many pieces by his contemporaries and older composers remained popular and in use. Although he was very well regarded during his lifetime, with only Haydn and Beethoven regarded more highly, his fame decreased significantly during the 19th and 20th centuries.