The birth of one of the future masters of music, Domenico Scarlatti was born in bustling and vibrant city of Naples, Italy on October 26, 1685. He’s the son of the famous opera composer, Alessandro Scarlatti as well as part of a vast family of musicians who had opportunities all throughout Naples. The senior Scarlatti had the appointment of Maestro Di Capella of the Viceroy. Domenico’s uncle, Francesco had been appointed first violinist at the Viceroy and was also a fairly popular composer in his early years. Another uncle, Tammaso Scarlatti was a trained musician of some degree. One of his aunts, Anna Maria was said to have been a singer. Nicolo Pagano, another of Domenico’s uncles was a musician by marriage to Melchiorra Scarlatti. Furthermore, in the household of the famous Alessandro Scarlatti there is said to have been much activity, rehearsing singers, recruiting librettists, and the hiring of scenery crews for his sixty plus operas he had written by the time Domenico had aged 11 years. His elder brother, Pietro was also a composer and his sister Flaminia used to often sing in the household. This was to inspire some of Domenico’s earliest works.
Domenico was never launched into a career in music with much of any strong care as his father was busy travelling from Naples to Rome and back again, consulting liberettists and rehearsing opera singers. Domenico was either to learn the rudiments of music from some other trained member of the family or by the imitation of what he heard performed throughout the household. There is no known record of Domenico ever receiving any formal instruction for the conservatories of Naples. Such attention to Domenico was given in later times when his father, Alessandro gained a reputation as a teacher as young Domenico began to compose. Although such was the case, before Domenico could read, he was being instructed in vocal lessons, thoroughbass, and keyboard by other people in the household. The fluidity of his playing of the keyboard instrument of the time, the harpsichord would make him a valuable talent in later performance as well as laying the groundwork for his many popular and prolific works. Absorbing the talent around him wasn’t all young Domenico did. He was also noted with helping his father with musical responsibilities, including the copying of music into parts for performers, as well as tuning instruments.
While still in his mid-teens, Domenico was appointed organist and composer in the royal chapel of Naples on September 13, 1701. None of the music that Domenico had composed in his time at the chapel has survived. Domenico’s post appeared to be short-lived as Naples was in the middle of fighting off the Spanish succession between the French and the Austrians who were battling to win the Spanish crown among much other plots of unrest. These events prompted Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti’s move to Florence, proving a much more promising life and career for them both. On their journey to Florence, Rome was a sure stop where Domenico had the great pleasure of meeting some of his future patrons. Then, in Florence, Domenico had been obliged to meet Bartolomeo Cristofori, the famous harpsichord and pianoforte creator from the late 17th and early 18th centuries. One of Domenico Scarlatti’s first cantatas was also first inscribed while in Florence, called, “fatta in Livorno,” At least one other cantata from the period, dated July 1702 was found in Munster.
Amongst the analysis of the composition of Scarlatti’s many keyboard sonatas, An author called Nicolo Pasquali published a book called Art of Fingering the Harpsichord originally written for teachers and beginning students in harpsichord. In this book, he explains the technique of tremolato—where one note is played and repeated by three different fingers. This is a technique of wide use in Scarlatti’s sonatas and other works. An example of this is witnessed in a performance of his Sonate K. 141 by Aline d’Ambricourt.
