Alessandro Scarlatti's twelve Sinfonie di Concerto Grosso were "begun on the first of June" 1715, according to an autograph manuscript held at the British Museum in London.
Composer Biography
Alessandro Scarlatti, despite his extensive vocal output of over a hundred melodramas and seven hundred cantatas, composed a relatively small quantity of instrumental music.
Composition History
Another theory suggests that the success of Arcangelo Corelli's Concerti Grossi Op. VI, published posthumously in 1714, inspired Alessandro Scarlatti to compose his own instrumental works.
Compositional Technique
In these Sinfonie di Concerto Grosso, Scarlatti's flute writing is technically straightforward but rich in expression, particularly in the extended melodies of the slow movements.
Composition History
Scarlatti, at 55, may have composed these instrumental works to increase his income, hoping for success and fame, especially in England, which could explain why the manuscript ended up in London.
Composer Biography
The elderly Scarlatti, known for his aversion to wind instruments, was persuaded to write "soli per flauto" for Johann Joachim Quantz, the future preceptor of Frederik II of Prussia, after much insistence from his pupil Johann Adolph Hasse.
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