Scarlatti: Essercizi per gravicembalo

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Hank Knox
Domenico Scarlatti

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Compositional Technique

All but one of the Essercizi sonatas are in binary form and marked Allegro or Presto, yet Scarlatti achieves variety through unexpected motives, abrupt harmonic changes, and rhythmic play.

Critical Reception

Dr. Charles Burney, a prolific music historian, described Domenico Scarlatti as the composer of "original and happy freaks" for his harpsichord works.

Composer Biography

Domenico Scarlatti was born in Naples in 1685, the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel, and died in Madrid in 1757.

Composer's Artistic Vision

In a note to the player, Scarlatti describes his compositions as "ingenious Jesting with Art" rather than profound learning, aiming for mastery of the harpsichord.

Composition History

Domenico Scarlatti's Essercizi per gravicembalo (Exercises for Harpsichord) is one of the few volumes of early keyboard music to have remained in print uninterruptedly for over 275 years.

Compositional Technique

Scarlatti's Essercizi demand extreme physical virtuosity from the player, including spectacular hand-crossings and large leaps of up to three octaves or more.

Composition History

The Essercizi are dedicated to King João V of Portugal, who conferred the prestigious knighthood of the Military Order of Saint James on Scarlatti in 1738.