Domenico Scarlatti

Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757) was an Italian composer of the late Baroque period who later worked at the courts of Portugal and Spain. After studying music in Naples as the son of Alessandro Scarlatti, he served Princess Maria Barbara and composed a large number of works for the harpsichord. More than 550 keyboard sonatas attributed to him form an important part of the repertoire from the transition between the Baroque and Classical eras. Most are single-movement works, distinguished by rhythms suggestive of Iberian dances and guitar music, rapid scales and repeated notes, wide leaps, striking harmonic turns, and passages requiring the hands to cross. Although originally written for the harpsichord, these highly individual pieces are now widely performed on the piano. Examples in the piano repertoire include the Sonata in A major, K.101, the Sonata “Fuga del gatto” in G minor, K.30, and the Sonata “Pastoralle” in A minor, K.451.