Scarlatti: 12 Sonatas

Featuring

Lorenzo Micheli
Matteo Mela
Domenico Scarlatti

Did you know?

1/7

Critical Reception

Robert Schumann, who disliked Scarlatti's music, described it as inconsistent, elusive, rhapsodic, and difficult to follow, with clumsiness of form and limited modulation.

Cultural Impact

Andrés Segovia, a world-acclaimed virtuoso, helped Scarlatti's music enter the guitar repertoire with his transcription of Sonata K. 481, published in 1935.

Interpretation

While it is common today to hear Domenico Scarlatti's music on guitar, the association between guitarists and his harpsichord music was slow to develop.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Scarlatti's music often echoes guitar playing, using techniques like rasgueado (rapid strumming), arpeggios, and repeated notes, contributing to its Hispanic character.

Composer Biography

Before moving to Portugal in 1719, Domenico Scarlatti lived in Italy for 34 years, working as an organist, harpsichordist, and composer in cities like Naples, Florence, Venice, and Rome.

Composer Biography

Domenico Scarlatti's father, Alessandro Scarlatti, was one of the most important musicians and opera composers of his time.

Compositional Technique

Ralph Kirkpatrick, in his 1953 biographical essay on Scarlatti, dedicated an entire paragraph to "The Influence of the Spanish Guitar" on Scarlatti's music.