Scarlatti, Domenico

Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti, also known as Domingo or Doménico Scarlatti, was an Italian composer born on October 26, 1685, in Naples. He is classified primarily as a Baroque composer, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical style. Scarlatti was the son of the renowned composer Alessandro Scarlatti and is known mainly for his 555 keyboard sonatas.

Scarlatti spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families. He was appointed as a composer and organist at the Chapel Royal of Naples in 1701 and briefly worked under his father, who was then the chapel’s maestro di cappella. In 1703, he revised Carlo Francesco Pollarolo’s opera “Irene” for performance at Naples.

After moving to Rome in 1709, Scarlatti entered the service of the exiled Polish queen Marie Casimira and met Thomas Roseingrave. He was already an accomplished harpsichordist and composed several operas for Queen Casimir’s private theatre. He held the position of Maestro di Cappella at St. Peter’s from 1715 to 1719.

Scarlatti’s later life included positions in Lisbon, Seville, and Madrid, where he became a music master to Princess Maria Barbara, who had married into the Spanish royal house. He passed away on July 23, 1757, in Madrid.