Pietro Alessandro Gaspare Scarlatti (2 May 1660 – 22 October 1725) was an Italian

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, known especially for his

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

s and chamber cantatas. He is considered the most important representative of the

Neapolitan school In music history, the Neapolitan School is a group, associated with opera, of 17th and 18th-century composers who studied or worked in Naples, Italy,Don Michael Randel (2003). ''The Harvard Dictionary of Music'', p. 549. . the best known of whom ...

of opera. Nicknamed by his contemporaries "the Italian Orpheus", he divided his career between

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

and

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, where he received his training; a significant part of his works was composed for the papal city. He is often considered the founder of the

, although he has only been its most illustrious representative: his contribution, his originality and his influence were essential, as well as lasting, both in Italy and in Europe. Particularly known for his operas, he brought the Italian dramatic tradition to its maximum development, begun by

Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is consider ...

at the beginning of 17th century and continued by Cesti, Cavalli,

Carissimi (Gian) Giacomo Carissimi (; baptized 18 April 160512 January 1674) was an Italian composer and music teacher. He is one of the most celebrated masters of the early Baroque or, more accurately, the Roman School of music. Carissimi established the ...

Legrenzi Giovanni Legrenzi (baptized August 12, 1626 – May 27, 1690) was an Italian composer of opera, vocal and instrumental music, and organist, of the Baroque era. He was one of the most prominent composers in Venice in the late 17th century, and ext ...

and Stradella, designing the final form of the ''

Da capo aria The da capo aria () is a musical form for arias that was prevalent in the Baroque era. It is sung by a soloist with the accompaniment of instruments, often a small orchestra. The da capo aria is very common in the musical genres of opera and orato ...

'', imitated throughout Europe. He was also the inventor of the

Italian overture The Italian overture is a piece of orchestral music which opened several operas, oratorios and other large-scale works in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. An Italian overture typically has a three- movement structure – the outer movements ...

in three movements (which was of the highest importance in the development of the symphony), of the four-part sonata (progenitor of the modern string quartet), and of the technique of motivic development./ encyclopedia / alessandro-scarlatti_% 28Biographical-dictionary% 29 / SCARLATTI, Alessandro in "Biographical Dictionary"
/ref> He was a model for the musical theater of his time, as evoked by

Händel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

's Italian works, deeply influenced by his theatrical music. Eclectic, Scarlatti also worked on all the other common genres of his time, from the sonata to the

concerto grosso The concerto grosso (; Italian language, Italian for ''big concert(o)'', plural ''concerti grossi'' ) is a form of baroque music in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists (the ''#Concertino, concertino'') and full orc ...

, from the motet to the

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

, from the

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is ...

to the cantata, the latter being a genere in which he was an undisputed master. He was the father of two other composers, Domenico Scarlatti and

Pietro Filippo Scarlatti Pietro Filippo Scarlatti (5 January 1679 – 22 February 1750) was an Italian composer, organist, and choirmaster. He was born in Rome, the eldest of Alessandro Scarlatti's children and a brother of composer Domenico Scarlatti and began his ...

Life

Scarlatti was born in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

(or in

Trapani Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an imp ...

Alfred Music, ''Anthology of Italian Songs'' (17th & 18th Century), Volume I: Vocal Collection
), then part of the

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...

. He is generally said to have been a pupil of

Giacomo Carissimi (Gian) Giacomo Carissimi (; baptized 18 April 160512 January 1674) was an Italian composer and music teacher. He is one of the most celebrated masters of the early Baroque or, more accurately, the Roman School of music. Carissimi established the ...

, and some theorize that he had some connection with northern Italy because his early works seem to show the influence of Stradella and

. The production at Rome of his opera ''Gli equivoci nel sembiante'' (1679) gained him the support of Queen

Christina of Sweden Christina ( sv, Kristina, 18 December ( New Style) 1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden in her own right from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus upon his death ...

(who at the time was living in Rome), and he became her ''maestro di cappella''. In February 1684 he became ''maestro di cappella'' to the

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

, perhaps through the influence of his sister, an opera singer, who might have been the mistress of an influential Neapolitan noble. Here he produced a long series of operas, remarkable chiefly for their fluency and expressiveness, as well as other music for state occasions. In 1702 Scarlatti left Naples and did not return until the Spanish domination had been superseded by that of the Austrians. In the interval he enjoyed the patronage of Ferdinando de' Medici, for whose private theatre near

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

he composed operas, and of

Cardinal Ottoboni Pietro Ottoboni (2 July 1667 – 28 February 1740) was an Italian cardinal and grandnephew of Pope Alexander VIII, who was also born Pietro Ottoboni. He is remembered especially as a great patron of music and art. Ottoboni was the last person to h ...

, who made him his ''maestro di cappella'', and procured him a similar post at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome in 1703. After visiting

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

and

Urbino Urbino ( ; ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of F ...

in 1707, Scarlatti took up his duties in Naples again in 1708, and remained there until 1717. By this time Naples seems to have become tired of his music; the Romans, however, appreciated it better, and it was at the

Teatro Capranica The Teatro Capranica is a theatre situated at 101 Piazza Capranica in the Colonna district of Rome. Originally constructed in 1679 by the Capranica family and housed in the early Renaissance Palazzo Capranica, it was the second public theatre to o ...

in Rome that he produced some of his finest operas ('' Telemaco'', 1718; ''Marco Attilio Regolò'', 1719; '' La Griselda'', 1721), as well as some noble specimens of church music, including a '' Messa di Santa Cecilia'' for chorus and orchestra, composed in honor of Saint Cecilia for Cardinal Francesco Acquaviva in 1721. His last work on a large scale appears to have been the unfinished ''

Erminia ''Jerusalem Delivered'', also known as ''The Liberation of Jerusalem'' ( it, La Gerusalemme liberata ; ), is an epic poem by the Italian literature, Italian poet Torquato Tasso, first published in 1581, that tells a largely mythified version of ...

serenata In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honor of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Italia ...

for the marriage of the prince of

Stigliano Stigliano ( Lucano: , Latin: ''Stilianum'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. The name is likely of Byzantine origin, stemming from " Stylianos", a Greek name with a Latin ending. H ...

in 1723. He died in Naples in 1725 and is entombed there at the church of Santa Maria di Montesanto.

Scarlatti's music

Scarlatti's music forms an important link between the early

Italian vocal styles of the 17th century, with their centers in Florence, Venice and

, and the classical school of the 18th century. Scarlatti's style, however, is more than a transitional element in Western music; like most of his Naples colleagues he shows an almost modern understanding of the psychology of modulation and also frequently makes use of the ever-changing phrase lengths so typical of the Napoli school. His early operas—''Gli equivoci nel sembiante'' 1679; ''

L'honestà negli amori ''L'honestà negli amori'' is a dramma per musica in 3 acts by composer Alessandro Scarlatti. Written in 1679-1680 when Scarlatti was 19 years old, it was his second opera. The opera uses an Italian language libretto that was written by either D ...

'' 1680, containing the famous aria "Già il sole dal Gange"; ''

Il Pompeo ''Il Pompeo'' is a dramma per musica in three acts by composer Alessandro Scarlatti. Written in 1682 when Scarlatti was 22 years old, it was his fourth opera and first dramatic work on a serious and grand subject. The opera uses an Italian languag ...

'' 1683, containing the well-known airs "O cessate di piagarmi" and "Toglietemi la vita ancor," and others down to about 1685—retain the older cadences in their

recitatives Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat ...

, and a considerable variety of neatly constructed forms in their charming little arias, accompanied sometimes by the string quartet, treated with careful elaboration, sometimes with the continuo alone. By 1686, he had definitely established the "Italian overture" form (second edition of ''Dal male il bene''), and had abandoned the

ground bass In music, an ostinato (; derived from Italian word for ''stubborn'', compare English ''obstinate'') is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces include ...

and the binary form air in two stanzas in favour of the

ternary form Ternary form, sometimes called song form, is a three-part musical form consisting of an opening section (A), a following section (B) and then a repetition of the first section (A). It is usually schematized as A–B–A. Prominent examples inclu ...

da capo Da capo (, also , ) is an Italian musical term that means "from the beginning" (literally, "from the head"). It is often abbreviated as D.C. The term is a directive to repeat the previous part of music, often used to save space, and thus is a ...

type of air. His best operas of this period are ''La Rosaura'' (1690, printed by the

Gesellschaft für Musikforschung The ''Gesellschaft für Musikforschung'' (GfM) is a professional association of musicologists and institutes active in study, research and teaching in Germany. It has over 1600 members. The association is based in Kassel, Hesse. History The so ...

), and ''Pirro e Demetrio'' (1694), in which occur the arias "Le Violette", and "Ben ti sta, traditor". From about 1697 onwards (''La caduta del Decemviri''), influenced partly perhaps by the style of

Giovanni Bononcini Giovanni Bononcini (or Buononcini) (18 July 1670 – 9 July 1747) (sometimes cited also as Giovanni Battista Bononcini) was an Italian Baroque composer, cellist, singer and teacher, one of a family of string players and composers. Biography E ...

and probably more by the taste of the viceregal court, his opera arias become more conventional and commonplace in rhythm, while his scoring is hasty and crude, yet not without brilliance (''L'Eraclea'', 1700), the

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

s and

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

s being frequently used, and the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

s often playing in unison. The operas composed for Ferdinando de' Medici are lost; they might have given a more favourable idea of his style as his correspondence with the prince shows that they were composed with a very sincere sense of inspiration. Alessandro Scarlatti - Griselda

'' Mitridate Eupatore'', accounted his masterpiece, composed for Venice in 1707, contains music far in advance of anything that Scarlatti had written for Naples, both in technique and in intellectual power. The later Neapolitan operas (''L'amor volubile e tiranno'' 1709; ''La principessa fedele'' 1710; ''Tigrane'', 1714, &c.) are showy and effective rather than profoundly emotional; the instrumentation marks a great advance on previous work, since the main duty of accompanying the voice is thrown upon the string quartet, the harpsichord being reserved exclusively for the noisy instrumental ''ritornelli''. In his opera ''Teodora'' (1697) he originated the use of the orchestral ''ritornello''. His last group of operas, composed for Rome, exhibit a deeper poetic feeling, a broad and dignified style of melody, a strong dramatic sense, especially in accompanied recitatives, a device which he himself had been the first to use as early as 1686 (''Olimpia vendicata'') and a much more modern style of orchestration, the horns appearing for the first time, and being treated with striking effect. Besides the operas,

s (''Agar et Ismaele esiliati'', 1684; ''La Maddalena'', 1685; ''La Giuditta'', 1693; ''Christmas Oratorio'', c. 1705; ''S. Filippo Neri'', 1714; and others) and serenatas, which all exhibit a similar style, Scarlatti composed upwards of five hundred chamber-cantatas for solo voice. These represent the most intellectual type of chamber-music of their period, and it is to be regretted that they have remained almost entirely in manuscript, since a careful study of them is indispensable to anyone who wishes to form an adequate idea of Scarlatti's development. His few remaining Masses (the story of his having composed two hundred is hardly credible) and church music in general are comparatively unimportant, except the great '' Saint Cecilia Mass'' (1721), which is one of the first attempts at the style which reached its height in the great Masses of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

and

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

. His instrumental music, though not without interest, is curiously antiquated as compared with his vocal works.

Operas

Recordings

*Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra,

Nicholas McGegan James Nicholas McGegan OBE (born 14 January 1950 in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, England) is a British harpsichordist, flutist, conductor and early music expert. Biography McGegan received his early education at Nottingham High School. He sub ...

. (2016). ''La Gloria di Primavera''.

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (PBO) is an American orchestra based in San Francisco. PBO is dedicated to historically informed performance of Baroque, Classical and early Romantic music on original instruments. The orchestra performs its su ...

. Diana Moore, Suzana Ograjensek, Nicholas Phan, Clint van der Linde, Douglas Williams, Philharmonia Chorale. *Akademie für alte Musik Berlin,

René Jacobs René Jacobs (born 30 October 1946) is a Belgian musician. He came to fame as a countertenor, but later in his career he became known as a conductor of baroque and classical opera. Biography Countertenor Born in Ghent, Jacobs began his music ...

. (2007). ''Griselda''. Harmonia Mundi HMC 901805.07.

Dorothea Röschmann Dorothea Röschmann (born 17 June 1967) is a German soprano. She is famous for her performances in operas by Mozart as well as Lieder. Early life Röschmann was born in Flensburg, and sang with the Flensburg Bach Choir by the age of seven. She ...

Lawrence Zazzo Lawrence Zazzo (born December 15, 1970 in Philadelphia) is an American countertenor. His repertoire includes roles in many Baroque operas and oratorios, as well as works of the 20th century. He lives in England. Education and background In h ...

, Veronica Cangemi,

Bernarda Fink Bernarda Fink (born 29 August 1955) is an Argentine mezzo-soprano. Born in Buenos Aires to Slovene parents who immigrated from Yugoslavia, Fink studied at the Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. She won First Prize at th ...

, Silvia Tro Santafé,

Kobie van Rensburg Kobie van Rensburg (born 23 May 1969 in Johannesburg) is a South African tenor and opera director. Life Van Rensburg studied singing with Werner Nel at the Northwest University of South Africa,

. *Le Consert de l'Hostel Dieu. (2006). ''Il martirio di Sant'Orsola''. Ligia digital: 0202176-07 *Le parlement de musique. (2005). ''La Giuditta''. Ambronay editions: AMY004 *Ensemble Europa Galante. (2004). ''Oratorio per la Santissima Trinità''. Virgin Classics: 5 45666 2 *Academia Bizantina. (2004). ''Il Giardino di Rose''.

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

: 470 650-2 DSA. *Orqestra barocca di Sevilla . (2003). ''Colpa, Pentimento e Grazia''. Harmonia Mundi: HMI 987045.46 *Seattle Baroque. (2001). ''Agar et Ismaele Esiliati''. Centaur: CRC 2664 *''Sedecia, re di Gerusalemme''. 2000 .

Gérard Lesne Gérard Lesne (; born 15 July 1956) is a French countertenor. He is also the founder and artistic director of the baroque music ensemble, Il Seminario Musicale. Life and career Gérard Lesne was born in Montmorency, Val-d'Oise. He was originall ...

Philippe Jaroussky Philippe Jaroussky (born 13 February 1978) is a French countertenor. He began his musical career with the violin, winning an award at the Versailles conservatory, and then took up the piano before turning to singing. Unusually for a countertenor ...

, Virginie Pouchon, Mark Padmore, Peter Harvey, Il Seminario musicale. Virgin veritas, Erato *Capella Palatina. (2000). ''Davidis pugna et victoria''. Agora: AG 249.1 *Akademie für alte Musik Berlin,

. (1998). ''Il Primo Omicidio''. Harmonia Mundi Fr.

Graciela Oddone Graciela (August 23, 1915 – April 7, 2010)
Accessed April 2010 was a Cuban-born American singer of Cuban music and ...

, Richard Croft,

, Antonio Abete *Ensemble Europa Galante. (1995). ''Humanita e Lucifero''. Opus 111: OPS 30–129 *Ensemble Europa Galante. (1993). ''La Maddalena''. Opus 111: OPS 30–96 *Allesandro Stradella Consort. (1992). Cantata natalizia ''Abramo, il tuo sembiante''. Nuova era: 7117 * I Musici. (1991). ''Concerto Grosso''. Philips Classics Productions: 434 160-2 * I Musici.

William Bennett William John Bennett (born July 31, 1943) is an American conservative politician and political commentator who served as secretary of education from 1985 to 1988 under President Ronald Reagan. He also held the post of director of the Office of ...

(Flute),

Lenore Smith Lenore Smith (born 25 October 1958 in Balmain, Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian actress best known for her work in television. Internationally, she is best known for her role as Kate Wellings in the drama series ''The Flying Doctors'' ...

(Flute), Bernard Soustrot (Trumpet),

Hans Elhorst Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...

(Oboe). (1961). ''12 Sinfonie di concerto grosso'' Philips Box 6769 066 500 959 & 9500 960 – 2 vinyl discs*

Emma Kirkby Dame Carolyn Emma Kirkby, (; born 26 February 1949) is an English soprano and early music specialist. She has sung on over 100 recordings. Education and early career Kirkby was educated at Hanford School, Sherborne School for Girls in Dorse ...

, soprano and Daniel Taylor, countertenor, with the Theatre of Early Music. (2005). '' Stabat Mater''.

ATMA Classique ATMA Classique is a Canadian record label based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1994 by Johanne Goyette, the company has close to 600 titles in its catalogue and distributes in over 25 countries and on the internet. Several recordings released ...

: ACD2 2237 *Francis Colpron, recorder, with Les Boréades. (2007). ''Concertos for flute''. ATMA Classique: ACD2 2521 *Nederlands Kamerkoor, with

Harry van der Kamp Harry van der Kamp (born 1947 in Kampen) is a Dutch bass singer in opera and concert. Mostly active in Historically informed performance, he founded the Gesualdo Ensemble. He is also an academic voice teacher. Singing career Born in Kampen, va ...

, conductor. (2008). ''Vespro della Beata Vergine'' for 5 voices and continuo. ATMA Classique: ACD2 2533

References

External links

Associazione Domenico Scarlatti
Italian language (some material in English). * Free scores by Alessandro Scarlatti at the

International Music Score Library Project The International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP), also known as the Petrucci Music Library after publisher Ottaviano Petrucci, is a subscription-based digital library of public-domain music scores. The project, which uses MediaWiki softwar ...