What's partimenti?

  1.  a series of (mostly) basslines implying a whole variety of pieces
  2. a method of learning harmony and counterpoint through pattern learning and improvisation

The Historical Connection

What did JS Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel and so many others have in common? They all studied the principles of partimenti.*

Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven

Bach in 1748. Elias Gottlob Hausmann painter.

JS Bach was one of the greatest composers to ever walk on the earth. He was a formidable improviser and a fast composer. He was also a prolific and eclectic teacher who used partimenti to teach his many students. Bach composed several cycles of church cantatas, in some periods Bach was composing a cantata every week or every month. He was a master at realizing harmonies and melodies above a baseline, which allowed him to compose amazing music, fast!

Handel circa 1726/28. Balthasar Denner painter.

Handel used partimenti as part of his lessons for Princess Anne in London. He composed his Messiah in 24 days. Handel was able to create a whole array of ideas quickly and efficiently and create a masterpiece in record time.

Handel used partimenti as part of his lessons for Princess Anne in London. He composed his Messiah in 24 days. Handel was able to create a whole array of ideas quickly and efficiently and create a masterpiece in record time.

Handel circa 1726/28. Balthasar Denner painter.
Haydn 1805. Thomas Hardy painter.

Haydn studied with Nicola Porpora who was straight out of Naples, the epicenter of partimenti. Haydn said that he learned the “true fundamentals of composition” from Porpora. Haydn composed more than 100 Symphonies, 70 string quartets, more than 50 piano sonatas and so much other music! From Porpora and through partimenti he learned the speed necessary to be a professional composer and create reliable and sturdy musical ideas.

Mozart studied with JC Bach (son of JS) in London and Padre Martini in Bologna. Both of these teachers were partimenti masters. Most people don’t know this, Mozart was also an exceptional teacher, he used partimenti that he composed to teach his students. Mozart could hear music in his head and then would just write the music down that he heard, this is called audiation. Mozart wrote the Overture to Don Giovanni in 3 hours the night before the first performance. Partimenti is an amazing tool to learn to practically audiate and be able to hear music in your head.

Mozart, painted posthumously in 1825. Barbara Krafft painter.
Mozart, painted posthumously in 1825. Barbara Krafft painter.

Mozart studied with JC Bach (son of JS) in London and Padre Martini in Bologna. Both of these teachers were partimenti masters. Most people don’t know this, Mozart was also an exceptional teacher, he used partimenti that he composed to teach his students. Mozart could hear music in his head and then would just write the music down that he heard, this is called audiation. Mozart wrote the Overture to Don Giovanni in 3 hours the night before the first performance. Partimenti is an amazing tool to learn to practically audiate and be able to hear music in your head.

Beethoven in 1820. Joseph Karl Stieler painter.

Beethoven, early in his life studied with Voler who was a student of Parde Martini (just like Mozart). When Beethoven came to Vienna, before he was known as a composer, he was known as an improviser. Using partimenti he absorbed hundreds of patterns and gestures that became fundamental to his music.

Naples

Choir Boys. Oil on canvas. Painter unknown.

 

Naples was the center of partimenti. The Neapolitan conservatories regularly produced the most talented and capable composers in Europe. The conservatories were different from the conservatories of today. Conservatories were orphanages and vocational schools designed to give orphans a viable career. 

 

Naples was the center of partimenti. The Neapolitan conservatories regularly produced the most talented and capable composers in Europe. The conservatories were different from the conservatories of today. Conservatories were orphanages and vocational schools designed to give orphans a viable career. 

Choir Boys. Oil on canvas. Painter unknown.

 

Young orphans would be sent to a school which matched their interest and natural inclinations. Were they a good singer? They went to the conservatory that taught music. Were they good with their hands? They went to the conservatory where they learned to be a tailor or a cobbler. The kids at these conservatories were born into a difficult life, but were trained to be the most capable and sought after composers in Europe. 

Partimenti Can Help Anyone Be a Better Composer

Did you catch that? The conservatories were schools for orphans, kids who didn’t have musical families like Mozart and Bach and didn’t have a ton of musical opportunities. The conservatories took those kids, and systematically trained them to be among the most capable musicians in Europe.

Partimenti uses simple tools to make a lot of music. Scales and intervals are the building blocks for partimenti. Rather than constantly finding new tools, we will reinvent again and again those same basic tools to make different and spectacular music.

You do not need a degree in composition to compose! You do not need to be a master of music theory to compose! Every musician is capable of creating beautiful and elegant music!

Paris

After the French Revolution the Paris Conservatory was set up modeled after the Italian conservatories. Quickly a first generation of Italian composers was hired, led by Luigi Cherubini  from Bologna (Beethoven thought Cherubini was his only rival as a composer) and partimenti was imported from Italy. Generations of French composers like Ravel and Debussy studied partimenti. 

Piano class of Charles de Bériot at the Paris Conservatory in 1895. Ravel on the far left. Eugène Pirou photographer. Bibliothèque nationale de France
Piano class of Charles de Bériot at the Paris Conservatory in 1895. Ravel on the far left. Eugène Pirou photographer. Bibliothèque nationale de France

After the French Revolution the Paris Conservatory was set up modeled after the Italian conservatories. Quickly a first generation of Italian composers was hired, led by Luigi Cherubini  from Bologna (Beethoven thought Cherubini was his only rival as a composer) and partimenti was imported from Italy. Generations of French composers like Ravel and Debussy studied partimenti. 

Nadia Boulanger

Nadia boulanger in 1925. Edmond Joaillier photographer. Bibliothèque nationale de France.

 

Nadia Boulanger was one of the many students to study partimenti at the Paris conservatory. She was her sister Lily’s first teacher. Lily was the first woman to win the Rome prize, one of the most coveted prizes at the conservatoire. Nadia Boulanger would go on to teach hundreds of students from all around the world. Her students include: Grażyna Bacewicz, Daniel Barenboim, Lennox Berkeley, Elliott Carter, Aaron Copland, John Eliot Gardiner, Philip Glass, Roy Harris, Quincy Jones, Dinu Lipatti, Thea Musgraves, Astor Piazzolla, Roger Sessions, Virgil Thomson, and George Walker.

* Partimenti denotes a specific school of thought and practice. Partimenti originates in Naples but was also practiced in Rome, Bologna and elsewhere in modern day Italy. I use the term partimenti to describe the practice of learning harmony and counterpoint by realizing harmonies and melodies above a baseline

Let’s talk! 

JS Bach, Handle, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Ravel, Debussy and so many others were trained using partimenti. 

Let’s talk about how you can learn partimenti too!

THE PARTIMENTI WORKSHOP

Unlock your creativity like the greatest composers.

Ian’s Music Studio is a safe place that welcomes people of all races, religions, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, and body types. We respect, celebrate, encourage, and nurture the unique musical and creative possibilities of each individual.

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