Download Domenico Scarlatti

Patrick Lee Hebert II
June 3, 2016
Domenico Scarlatti
Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer who was born in Naples, Kingdom of Naples in 1685. This
was the same year that Bach and Handel were born. Domenico was the sixth of ten children. Him and
his older brother, and his father were all musicians. Scarlatti began his musical studies with his father
and in his studies he progressed rapidly. At 16 years old he was appointed as a musician at the chapel
royal. Two years later he and his father left Naples and went to Rome. He later even visited Venice,
his father sending him there.
Scarlatti lived during the Baroque Era, in which the musical “style” was very ornamented or
exaggerated. Even the furniture of this time period reflects the music with its decorated corners and
fancy woodwork. The instrument of that time was the harpsichord; the piano hadn’t been invented
yet. Although, Scarlatti did live to play the first pianofortes in the later years of his life. Even still, the
majority of the 555 Piano Sonatas that he is famous for writing were written on the harpsichord only.
Scarlatti was also a familiar figure at the weekly meetings of the Accademie Poetico-Musicali, which
was hosted by Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni. The finest musicians in Rom gathered here to play chamber
music. Here Scarlatti met Handel, who was born the same year as him. At the time, they were both
23. They were prevailed upon to compete with each other. They were judged equal on the
harpsichord, but Handel was considered winner of the organ.
Scarlatti moved to Lisbon in Nov 29 of 1719. Here he taught music to the Portuguese, including the
princess Maria Magdelena Barbara. After the death of his first wife in 1742 he married the Spaniard
Anastasia Maxarti Ximenes. The death of his father recalled him to Naples in 1725, but he did not
long remain in his native town. His old pupil, the Portuguese princess, who had married Ferdinand VI,
invited him to the Spanish court. He accepted and after a short stay in Seville, he went to Madrid.
During the time in Madrid many of the 555 keyboard sonatas were written. Scarlatti died at the age
of seventy-one and was buried in Madrid, although his grave is no longer there.
Only a small amount of Scarlatti’s compositions were published during his lifetime. Most of the 555
keyboard sonatas were written in binary form and some were written in early sonata form. They
were usually one movement, written mainly for harpsichord of the earliest pianofortes. Scarlatti also
wrote 4 pieces for organ and a few for small instrument group. He was noted particularly for his use
of discords and unconventional modulations to remote keys. Besides sonatas, he composed many
operas and cantatas, symphonies and liturgical pieces. One of his well-known pieces “Salve Regina”
of 1757 is thought to be his last composition.
I love Scarlatti’s music because it is very even and concise. This “even-ness” can be very relaxing at
times. You could listen to exciting, playful Mozart… Sombre, broody Beethoven… Surreal, colorful
Debussy… Or you could listen to the baroque side of things.