91
See also: Pièces de clavecin 82–83 ■ Musique de table 106 ■ Clementi’s Piano
Sonata in F-sharp minor, Op. 25, No. 5 132–133 ■ “Eroica” Symphony 138–141BAROQUE 1600 –1750
keyboard were legendary, his
dancing fingers described by one
astonished British observer as
resembling “a thousand devils.”
Scarlatti allegedly once had a
public contest of keyboard skills
with Handel, a musical duel that,
by all accounts, ended in a draw.
Scarlatti put his talents to use at
the highest level of royal service,
tutoring Maria Barbara when she
was both princess of Portugal and
later queen of Spain. It was her
aptitude for the instrument and her
continuous employment of Scarlatti
that provided the conditions for his
groundbreaking Essercizi.Scarlatti’s sonata style
The term “sonata” derives from the
Italian verb suonare, meaning “to
sound,” and generally denotes solo
instrumental music—that is, music
which is “sounded” as opposed
to sung (or “cantata”). In the early
18th century, Italian composers
such as Arcangelo Corelli, Antonio
Vivaldi, and Tomaso Albinoni
had written widely for solo
instruments—the violin being a
particularly popular choice—buttheir sonatas tended to consist
of three to four movements of
contrasting moods. However,
Scarlatti’s sonatas for the solo
harpsichord—at that point, a
relatively neglected instrument—
typically follow a two-part, single-
movement structure, often pivoting
around a central “crux,” or pause,
and tending to be of shorter
proportions, lasting only around
three to four minutes in total.The Pastorale
Although he was influenced by
the sarabandes and courantes
(both courtly dances) of his
contemporaries, Scarlatti’s music
of this era is unique in its use of
folk idioms taken from his Iberian
surroundings. The Sonata K9 in
D minor is nicknamed the Pastorale
(Pastoral). This is in part due to the
deceptive simplicity of its melody
but also owing to the traditional
music it evoked, including elements
of Spanish folk dance music such
as the strumming, percussive
effects of Spanish guitar. This
addition of country stylings to the
formal courtly influences was to
continue to define Scarlatti’s music.
He broke down the expectations of
Baroque chamber music convention,
experimenting with dissonance
and syncopation in his later sonatas.
It is such playful “jesting with
art” that places Scarlatti as a
master of both Baroque music
and the evolving classical style.
Scarlatti helped pave the way
for the still more radical sonata
experiments of Mozart and
Beethoven that followed and that
further emphasized the importance
of freestyle, expressive melody lines
over the more formal structure of
Baroque music. ■Domenico Scarlatti
The son of the prolific
opera composer, Alessandro
Scarlatti, Domenico Scarlatti
was born in Naples in 1685.
A talented musician himself,
he followed his father into a
musical career of wide-ranging
commissions and royal
patronage. At 16 he became
composer and organist to the
royal chapel in Naples before
going on to serve the exiled
Polish queen, Maria Casimira,
in Rome. He later became
maestro di cappella (music
director) at St. Peter’s.
In 1721, Scarlatti joined
the Portuguese court in
Lisbon, where he gave music
lessons to Princess Maria
Barbara. When the princess
married Fernando VI of Spain,
she summoned Scarlatti to
be her music tutor. He served
the queen until his death in
Madrid in 1757. Scarlatti is
mainly known for his 555
keyboard sonatas, although
he also produced a huge
quantity of chamber and
sacred vocal music.Other key works1724 Stabat Mater for
10 voices
1757 Salve ReginaFor bold playing of the
harpsichord ... [s]how yourself
more human than critical, and
thus increase your own
pleasure. ... LIVE HAPPILY.
Domenico ScarlattiUS_090-091_Domenico_scarlatti.indd 91 27/03/18 4:49 PM