HMR Project: History of Music & Modern Recording

Domenico Scarlatti Interrupted Years Later by Lodovico Giustini

Birth of Classical Music: Domenico Scarlatti

Domenico Scarlatti

Born 26 October 1685 in Naples, Domenico Scarlatti was an influential late baroque composer at root to the galant and classical styles, he bridging to them both. They are much Scarlatti's 555 keyboard sonatas produced in Madrid that illuminated the court of Spain during the late baroque period and wrought novel approaches contributing to the golden period of the classical just a breath in time ahead. As the son of Alessandro Scarlatti, Domenico had a heady act to follow, and excelled. One cause of Scarlatti's significance is his connection to Spain. Spain had produced a few composers during the Renaissance (Tomás Luis de Victoria), but it was something in the suburbs like Poland in comparison to the continent, more than a thousand miles from Germany. The hot spots of baroque activity were in France, Germany, Italy and Venice, England less so. Despite the Habsburg Holy Roman Empire contending with Protestant Germany in alliance with Papal states, Venice and Spain, Spain and continental Europe were two different worlds. The distance of Poland and Spain from Europe's main cultural centers doesn't mean, however, that they lagged behind the rest of Europe. Both, especially Spain, were as baroque on their own terms as you could wish a place to be by Domenico's time. Viewing Portugal south of the Pyrenees, natural border to the continent, as a smaller version of Spain, Scarlatti's traveling arrival there in 1719 was a main event in musical history.

We should preface this glance at Scarlatti with a look at cataloguing systems of which there are four. The earliest is the 'CZ' indexed by composer, Carl Czerny, at an unidentified time. 'L' numbers are by Alessandro Longo as of 1905. The 'K' directory is by Ralph Kirkpatrick [Wikipedia] as of 1953. 'P' numbering is by Giorgio Pestelli as of 1967. See also CZ-K-L-P; K; K-L-P; K vs sources ; L.

Scarlatti had worked as a composer and organist in Naples as early as 1701, composing a motet for the Feast of John the Baptist that year. From 1703 to 1757 Scarlatti composed eighteen operas beginning with 'Ottavia restored to the throne' and 'Giustino' the same year.

'L'Ottavia restituita al Trono' Opera by Domenico Scarlatti

'Ottavia returned to the Throne'

Premiere Naples 1703 Libretto: Giulio Convò

Cappella Della Pietà De'Turchini / Antonio Florio

Soprano: Yolanda Auyanet (Ottavia)

After a few years in Naples Scarlatti's father sent him to Venice, he not raising his head again until 1709 in Rome in service to Queen Marie Casimire, she in exile from Poland. Casimire commissioned seven operas from Scarlatti, his first a pastorale called 'La Silvia' premiering on 27 Jan 1710. His second, 'Tolomeo e Alessandro', was staged on 19 January 1711. His last before Casimere's departure to France in flight from debt was 'Amor d'un'ombra e gelosia d'un'aura', aka 'Narciso', performed at her private theatre in January 1714. Other early works had appeared during this period such as a 'Salve Regina' in 1712.

Scarlatti wrote his 'Christmas Cantata' in Rome in 1714, that among about 800 cantatas most of which are of unknown date. Scarlatti had become employed at the Cappella Giuiia at St. Peters in 1714, appointed maestro in December, which position he held until 1719. It was probably during that period that his setting for 'Iste Confessor' appeared as well as a couple 'Miserere's ('Psalm 51'), his 'Magnificat' and his 'Stabat Mater'. The 'Magnificat' is a canticle (text from the Bible) of Mary setting music to verses from the gospel of 'Luke'.

'Magnificat' Liturgical work by Domenico Scarlatti

Composed for 4 voices prob Rome sometime 1714-1719

Canticle of 'Luke' 1:46-55 Score

Immortal Bach Ensemble / Morten Schuldt-Jensen

Scarlatti possibly crossed the Channel to London in 1715 to stage 'Narciso' at the King's Theatre [Wikipedia]. He traded his position at St. Peter's for an appointment as tutor to Barbara of Portugal [Wikipedia] in Lisbon in 1719. His liturgical 'Te Deum' was probably performed in Lisbon in latter 1721.

'Te Deum' Liturgical work by Domenico Scarlatti

Premiere Lisbon 1721

Composed for 8 voices w organ Text by unknown sometime 4th century Score

Immortal Bach Ensemble / Morten Schuldt-Jensen

Scarlatti left Lisbon for Rome in 1727 where he married one Maria Caterina Gentili on 6 May 1728 with whom he would have five children. Moving to Seville in 1729, in 1733 he became employed to Barbara again, this time in Madrid, she now married into the Spanish royal house, to become Queen of Spain in 1746. Scarlatti found little argument with this situation for the remaining quarter century of his career.

Born during the same year as Scarlatti (26 October 1685) were Handel (5 March), J.S. Bach (31 March) and Lodovico Giustini on 12 December. Albeit originating when all were about fifteen years of age none but Giustini composed for piano, the instrument yet too imperfect for the others. Giustini is, indeed, credited with the first known compositions specifically for piano rather than harpsichord per his '12 Sonate da Cimbalo di piano e forte' published in Florence in 1732. Scarlatti's connection to piano is by virtue of Barbara who would own five pianos among twelve keyboard instruments at the time of her death in 1758. Scarlatti was no doubt familiar with the early piano, its existence likely of some affect in his composing, but it wasn't yet capable of what a harpsichord could do so he wrote keyboard pieces for harpsichord or organ only. He is commonly recorded on piano by virtue of his familiarity with the instrument at the court of Barbara.

The piano was called a "gravicembalo col piano e forte" ("keyboard instrument with soft and loud" by its inventor, Bartolomeo Cristofori, who presented his instrument to Ferdinando de' Medici of Tuscany in Florence in 1700. Gravicembalo translates to harpsichord in Italian. The basic difference between harpsichord and piano is that one plucks strings while the other hammers them. Three pianos that Cristofori made in the 1720s yet exist. Despite the first piano arriving in 1700, its development toward the instrument that would replace the harpsichord took perhaps a hundred years. Haydn composed for piano as early as the 1760s, Beethoven as a teenager in the 1880s, and Mozart used the instrument during the last decade or so of his career before his death in 1791. These were lighter and lesser developed instruments than the grand piano which Steinway introduced in America in 1840. A particularly nice marker of piano finally coming of age after a century of development by various in succession is Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' written for piano in 1801, not nearly so romantic on a harpsichord. Beethoven loved the piano for which composed, ever looking for someone who could make a better instrument. Another generation and piano had put harpsichord where you could see it in your rearview mirror from the Romantic period during which the instrument took front stage. Compare the harpsichord to the clavichord to the fortepiano.

Birth of Classical Music: Bartolomeo Cristofori

Bartolomeo Cristofori

Inventor of the piano in Florence in 1700

Source: Musica En El Mateo

Birth of Classical Music: Cristofori Grand Piano 1720

Cristofori Grand Piano 1720

Source: The Met

'12 Sonate da cimbalo di piano e forte' Lodovico Giustini

Earliest known composition for piano published 1732 in Florence

Pianoforte: Andrea Coen Score to Op.1

Scarlatti published his 'Essercizi per Gravicembalo' ('Exercises for Harpsichord') in London on 3 February 1739 dedicated to John V of Portugal. Little of Scarlatti's oeuvre has taken the globe by storm with the exception of his harpsichord sonatas which are long since a deep study and by far his most esteemed works. Beginning the Kirkpatrick catalogue with 'Sonata in D minor' as K 1 (CZ 6 / L 366 / P 57), the last of thirty sonatas in 'Essercizi per Gravicembalo' is Scarlatti's famous 'Cat Fugue' (Fugue in G minor) K 30 / L 499. Scarlatti's second volume of sonatas saw print the same year with the edition of 12 more in '42 Suites de Pièces pour le Clavecin' K 1-42 [score]. The remainder of Scarlatti's 550 sonatas per Kirkpatrick have their sources in manuscripts. Via study of key signatures Christopher Hail has attempted to divide these sonatas into periods of 1715-1725, 1725-1730, 1730-1735, 1735-1740 and 1740-1755. Scarlatti wrote sonatas for Barbara whom must thus assume to have been a capable keyboardist, having played the harpsichord for at least a quarter of a century before becoming Spain's Queen (1746).

'Essercizi per Gravicembalo' K 1-15 Domenico Scarlatti

Published London 1739

Harpsichord: Scott Ross

'Essercizi per Gravicembalo' 'Cat's Fugue' K 30 Domenico Scarlatti

Published London 1739

Harpsichord: Elaine Comparone

All seventeen of Scarlatti's sinfonias are found in manuscript inscribed sometime between 1750 and 1790.

'Sinfonia No.2' G major Domenico Scarlatti

Composed c 1750-1756

Gruppo strumentale “R.Dionisi” / Claudio Colmanet

To go by Wikipedia, among Scarlatti's latest datable operas was 'I portentosi effetti della madre natura' composed in 1752. As mentioned, Scarlatti had written his first 'Salve Regina' as early as 1712. Johan van Veen comments that "the last of his works, composed in Madrid not long before his death" appears on the manuscript of Scarlatti's second 'Salve Regina', placing its composition in 1756 or 1757.