Alessandro Scarlatti (May 2nd 1660 - October 24th 1725) was a particularly known Compositeur of Baroque music for its operas. He is regarded as the founder of the Neapolitan school of opera. He was the father of Domenico Scarlatti.

He was born in Sicily, with Trapani or Palermo. The legend wants that he was a pupil of Giacomo Carissimi with Rome. However it seems today not very probable that the Scarlatti young person, hardly 12 years old, could be accommodated by the most famous Roman musician. The most probable assumption is that Scarlatti would have been the pupil of a modest type-setter, Antonio Foggia, wire of the famous choirmaster to S. Maria Maggiore, Francesco Foggia. In addition, there exist reasons to think that it had bonds with the north of Italy, its early works showing the influence of Stradella and Legrenzi.

The representation in Rome of its opera Gli Equivoci nell' amore (1679) brought the protection of the queen to him Christine of Sweden (who lived at that time in Rome), and it became the Choirmaster about it. In February 1684, he became the Choirmaster of the viceroy of Naples, thanks to the influence of his sister, singer of opera, which was the mistress of noble Neapolitan influential. It is here that it produced a great series of operas, mainly remarkable by their fluidity and their expressivity, as well as other musics for official ceremonies of the state.

It left Naples in 1702 and did not go back there until the Austrian domination does not replace that of Spain. For this period, it was under the patronage of Ferdinand III of Tuscany, for the private theater of which it composed of the operas, and under that of the Ottoboni cardinal, who did it Choirmaster, and a station similar got to him to the church of Santa Maria Maggiore of Rome.

After having visited Venice and Urbin in 1707, it took again its load in Naples in 1708, and remained there until 1717. As from this moment, Naples seemed to be wearied of its music; the Romans them appreciated it better, and it is with the Capranica theater of Rome that it produced its best operas ( Telemaco , 1718; Marco Attilio Regoló , 1719; Griselda , 1721), as well as remarkable works of sacred music, among which a mass for chorus and orchestra, made up in the honor of holy Cecile for the Acquaviva cardinal in 1721. Its last work of great scale was an unfinished serenade for the marriage of the prince de Stigliano (1723); he died in Naples.

The music of Scarlatti forms a very important bond between the attempt at “new music” of the 17th century and the traditional school of the 18th century which culminated with Mozart. Its first operas ( Gli equivoci nel sembiante (1679); Honestà negli amori (1680); Pompeo (1683), containing the famous airs “O cessate di piagarmi” and “Toglietemi the vita ancor,” and others still until approximately 1685) still use old rates in their récitatifs and a very large variety of forms very built in their charming small arias, sometimes accompanied by a string quartet, treated with a looked after development, sometimes accompanied by only the Clavecin.

Since approximately 1697 and before Caduta LED decemviri , perhaps under the influence of the style of Giovanni Bononcini and problablement even more under the influence of the taste of the viceroy, his operas become more conventional and commun runs from the point of view of the rate/rhythm, however that its writing becomes harder, not without glare however (Eracles, 1700), the Hautbois and the trumpet S being frequently used, the Violon S often playing in unison. The made up operas for Ferdinand de Médicis are lost, perhaps would have given a more positive idea of its style, its correspondence with the prince showing that they were composed with a sincere inspiration.

Mitridate Eupatore , regarded as its main work, composed in Venice in 1707, contains a music very advances some compared to what Scarlatti had written for Naples, at the same time technically and intellectually. Last Neapolitan operas ( voluble Amor E tiranno (1700); Principessa fedele (1712); Tigrane , 1715, &c.) is more ostentatious and effective that of a deep emotion; the instrumentation marks a large projection compared to former works, the voice being mainly accompanied by the string quartet, the harpsichord being reserved exclusively with the noisy instrumental old stories. It is in the opera Teodora (1697) that the use of the ritornello by the orchestra is initiated.

Its last group of operas, composed for Rome, watch a major poetic direction, broad and worthy style of melody, a strong dramatic direction, particularly in the accompanied récitatifs, a technique which it was the first to be used since 1686 ( Olimpia vendicata ) and a style much more modern of orchestration, horns appearing for the first time and treaties with seizing effects. In addition to the operas, oratorios ( Agar and Ismaele esiliati , 1684; Oratorio of Christmas , C. 1705; S. Filippo Neri, 1714; and others) and serenades, which show a whole a similar style, Scarlatti wrote nearly five hundred cantatas of room for voice soloist. They represent the most intellectual chamber music of this period and one can consider it regrettable that they remained to date with the state of manuscripts, because an attentive study of these last is essential with which wants to be formed an idea of the evolution of Scarlatti.

The few found masses (the idea that it would have composed two hundreds of them is not very credible) and the sacred music in general are comparatively of less importance, except for large the Messe of Holy Cecile (1721), who is one of the first attempts in the style which reached tops in the great masses of Jean-Sebastien Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven. Its instrumental music, although interesting, seems of a very old writing compared to its vocal works.

See too

• Stabat MATER (Alessandro Scarlatti)