Domenico Scarlatti
Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757) was an Italian composer who spent much of his career at the Portuguese and Spanish courts. He is known almost exclusively for his 555 keyboard sonatas.
Chronologically a Baroque figure, he wrote music that already points toward the Classical style. The sonatas are single movements, mostly in binary form, composed for harpsichord or the earliest pianofortes, with a few for organ or small ensembles.
They cover a wide expressive range: serious and light, courtly dances and street songs, with bold discords, remote modulations, and the colours of Spanish life—castanets, drums, and guitar strumming. Only a handful were published in his lifetime, most famously the thirty Essercizi per Gravicembalo of 1738; the rest entered the keyboard repertoire long after his death in Madrid.
Domenico Scarlatti is featured on the following titles
Harpsichord Recital
In the mid-1990s Nicholas Parle was living and working in Europe from financial necessity, but returned each year to perform and record in Australia. This was his first CD for Tall Poppies, a popular selection of favourite harpsichord works.
Compositions by Domenico Scarlatti also appear on
Il Diavolo
Accademia Arcadia, founded by harpsichordist Dr Jacqueline Ogeil, presents Italian baroque violin sonatas with improvising violinist Davide Monti, a regular guest with leading early-music ensembles.