However, most of Clementi's sonatas are more difficult to play than those of Mozart, who wrote in a letter to his sister that he would prefer her not to play Clementi's sonatas due to their jumped runs, and wide stretches and chords, which he thought might ruin the natural lightness of her hand.
L'irriverenza di Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart verso Clementi ha condotto alcuni a chiamarli "arcirivali", ma la 'citazione' del tema principale della sonata in si bemolle nell'ouverture mozartiana non fa che confermare l'attenzione del genio austriaco nei confronti di Clementi.