Can anyone help me with this? It concerns an Andante written by Clementi, and I have already run it through Babelfish and a few other computer-translators, so between that and my rudimentary knowledge of Italian I have worked out the bones of most of it. But I'm not clear about something -

I know the opening sentence states that Clementi had many reasons for writing harp music (and the original text goes on to list a number of his friends who played or manufactured the instrument). But is it telling us that he actually DID do so, or merely that he might/could/should have? (There are plenty of harp transcriptions of his keyboard pieces.)

In particular: Does this say that Spohr specifically asked Clementi to write this work (Andante with variations) for HARP, or is it a more general statement? The passage about Cardon indicates that his students were eager for new harp music, as evidenced by letters, but it does not say that Clementi wrote anything for them. Is this correct?

My main concern with this translation is to determine whether anyone actually commissioned this Andante from Clementi as harp music – or is it merely a transcription of an already existing piano work (the sonata cited below)? I think the latter, but I want to know for sure what I'm reading. I would be so grateful if someone could give me a live-human translation because I really need the nuances of meaning.

I have copied the words exactly as they appear in the original text, though I haven't yet mastered how to do the diacritical markings in html, so there is a backslash over the "e" in some places which doesn't appear here. I will appreciate any help. Many thanks!

Bonnie

Clementi ebbe molteplici ragioni di scrivere musica per arpa …
Nel 1802-1803 era stato in Russia dove il concertista d'arpa Cardon aveva per allieve uno stuolo di granduchesse, che come risulta da lettere del tempo, erano avide di musica nuova per lo strumento; conosceva anche Spohr [whose wife was a famous concert harpist]. Quale sollecitazione abbia seguito nello scrivere l'Andante Con Variazione, non ci e dato sapere.

Il tema ricorda quello del secondo tempo della Sonata Op.12 No.1 per pianoforte, che e del 1784, ma la sua espressione e le variazioni, molto diverse, sono prettemente arpistiche, secondo la tecnica e lo stile del tempo. Nel manoscritto conservato alla biblioteca del Conservatorio di Venezia, non esiste alcun segno di interpretazione. [The manuscript is kept in the library of Venice Conservatory but it contains no editorial markings.]