Domenico Scarlatti

Domenico Scarlatti was born on October 26, 1685, in Naples, the sixth child of Alessandro Scarlatti, the towering founder of the Neapolitan school of opera. Trained by his father and Gaetano Greco, Domenico became organist and composer of the royal chapel in Naples at age sixteen. In Rome, he served as maestro di cappella at St. Peter's Basilica (Cappella Giulia) and competed in a famous friendly musical trial against George Frideric Handel at the Palazzo Ruspoli, where he was declared equal on the harpsichord.

In 1719, Scarlatti moved to Lisbon as court music master to Princess Maria Barbara of Portugal. When she married the future King Ferdinand VI of Spain in 1729, Scarlatti accompanied her to Seville and Madrid, serving her for the rest of his life. In Spain, immersed in Andalusian folk music and flamenco rhythms, Scarlatti composed his monumental output of 555 keyboard sonatas (catalogued by Ralph Kirkpatrick). These works revolutionized keyboard performance, introducing hand-crossing, rapid repeated notes, bold dissonances (acciaccaturas), and sudden harmonic shifts that anticipated the Classical and Romantic eras. In 1738, he published his 'Essercizi per gravicembalo' in London, dedicated to King John V of Portugal, cementing his reputation across Europe.