Domenico Scarlatti's extensive collection of 555 sonatas is closely linked to his role as musical educator to Maria Bárbara, the King of Portugal's daughter, whom he served for thirty years.
Composer Biography
George Frideric Handel and Domenico Scarlatti, both born in 1685, were acknowledged as phenomenal keyboard players by the age of almost thirty-five.
Compositional Technique
Scarlatti's music incorporated Spanish folk elements like guitar arpeggios, seguidilla dance steps, fandango outbursts, and cante jondo invocations, reflecting his adopted culture.
Critical Reception
The 18th-century music historian Charles Burney celebrated Handel and Scarlatti as the two supreme masters of the harpsichord, calling them 'heavenly twins'.
Performer Biography
Pierre Hantaï, the harpsichordist on this album, was deeply influenced by Gustav Leonhardt's harpsichord recordings and studied with him in Amsterdam.
Historical Context
Handel and Scarlatti likely met in London in September 1719, having previously encountered each other in Rome and Venice.
Composer Biography
In 1720, Handel's career path diverged, focusing on opera in London and composing almost nothing for the harpsichord after that year.
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