Domenico Scarlatti

Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757) was an Italian composer and keyboardist best known for more than 550 one-movement sonatas, composed mainly for harpsichord.

Scarlatti sonata: A single-movement keyboard work by Domenico Scarlatti, usually organized around two repeated sections. These works form the central body of Scarlatti’s surviving music.
Naples: A major southern Italian city that was a leading center of opera and musical life in the Baroque period. Scarlatti was born there and began his career in its musical institutions.
Maria Barbara of Portugal: A Portuguese infanta who became queen of Spain and a skilled keyboard player. Scarlatti served her for decades and dedicated the Essercizi per gravicembalo to her.
Essercizi per gravicembalo: A collection of thirty keyboard sonatas published by Scarlatti in London in 1738. This printed collection introduced a selection of his sonatas to a wider European public.
Keyboard Sonata in D minor, K. 141: A rapid D-minor keyboard sonata by Domenico Scarlatti, marked by repeated notes and driving passagework. Its repeated-note writing exemplifies the physical intensity of Scarlatti’s keyboard style.
Harpsichord: A keyboard instrument that produces sound by plucking strings with small plectra. Scarlatti’s sonatas exploit its crisp attack and ability to articulate rapid passagework.
Rome: The capital of the Papal States and a major center of Baroque music and opera. Scarlatti worked in Rome, where he composed for patrons and held musical posts.
João V of Portugal: King of Portugal from 1706 to 1750, noted for lavish patronage of the arts and church. His court employed Scarlatti during the composer’s years in Lisbon.
Ralph Kirkpatrick: An American harpsichordist and musicologist whose scholarship established a widely used Scarlatti sonata catalogue. His research and edition helped organize and renew study of Scarlatti’s vast sonata corpus.
Keyboard Sonata in E major, K. 380: A lyrical E-major keyboard sonata by Domenico Scarlatti, often performed as a self-contained concert piece. Its poised melody offers a contrast to the more overtly percussive sonatas.

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