Domenico Scarlatti, the composer of these sonatas, was born in Naples in 1685, the same year as J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel.
Composer Biography
Scarlatti was employed as an organist at the Royal Chapel in Naples at the age of fifteen and later became maestro di capella at the Royal Chapel in Lisbon.
Historical Context
Scarlatti's music was influenced by both Italian Baroque traditions and Iberian features, such as short, sudden guitar riffs.
Composition History
The Essercizi per Gravicembalo, a collection of thirty of Scarlatti's sonatas, were dedicated to King João V of Portugal and published in London in 1739.
Composer Biography
Domenico Scarlatti taught harpsichord to Princess Maria Barbara of Portugal and her uncle, Don Antonio di Braganza, who later became his patron in Spain.
Compositional Technique
Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas often feature a 'descending tetrachord' and a 'walking bass' 1-5, which contribute to the consistency of his musical language.
Recording & Production
This complete recording of Scarlatti's sonatas is a project of about 40 CDs, recorded in Vienna under the patronage of Bösendorfer and Paul and Eva Badura-Skoda.
