Domenico Scarlatti: Master of Music by Malcolm Boyd

Domenico Scarlatti has always been recognized as one of the most original composers of the Baroque indeed, of any epoch.

He is primarily known for his splendid harpsichord sonatas, but Scarlatti also wrote excellent vocal music, both sacred and secular, which until recently was known only to a handful of experts.

In the past 30 years, however, the extant vocal compositions have been augmented by the discovery of no fewer than three complete operas, two masses, several chamber cantatas, and other church com positions. This remarkable biography comes at a time when that music is at last starting to appear in print, and it is the first in any language to survey Scarlatti's complete oeuvre in depth.

Malcolm Boyd, drawing on the latest research into the composer's life and work, creates a vivid portrait of Scarlatti's career in all its accomplished variety. He offers a wealth of biographical detail: from his musically talented family to contemporaries Bach and Handel; from his position as maestro di cappella at St. Peter's in the Vatican to his royal patrons-Queen Maria Casimira of Poland, for whom he wrote his earliest operas and oratorios; King John V of Portugal; and Queen Maria Barbara of Spain, for whom he composed most of his sonatas.
Scarlatti adopted and mastered three contrasting musical styles: the predominantly vocal style of opera, oratorio, cantata, and serenata, the essentially instrumental style of the later harpsichord sonatas; and the un accompanied polyphony of the church music. Such simultaneous command was exceptional, and perhaps unique. And while his major claim to fame centers on the keyboard works, the vocal compositions further display his astounding versatility, showing him to be a more complete master of music than previously thought.

The book is divided into three sections, dealing with the composer's years in Italy. Portugal, and Spain. Biographical chapters alternate with those focusing on the music primarily associated with those periods: operas and oratorios; serenatas and chamber cantatas, and the early and fate keyboard works, the last including new information on sources and on new methods of interpreta tion. The material is supplemented through out with 43 musical examples, and a concluding chapter offers a retrospective of Scarlatti's reputation and influence up to the present day.

In addition, there is a lengthy biography, extensive footnotes, a detailed genealogy of the Scarlatti family, and four appendixes: Scarlatti arrangements; the full text of his will; the scores of two previously unpublished sonatas, and a complete listing of his compositions.

If the importance of a composer's work is measured in terms of originality, scope, and breadth, Scarlatti's place among music's im mortals is assured. This superb book will further enhance his legacy by making the astonishing variety of his work available to lovers everywhere. music

About the Author

Malcolm Boyd studied music at Durham University and is now Senior Lecturer at the University College, Cardiff. His numerous articles include several on the Scarlatti family, and he has also contributed in this area to dictionaries and encyclopedias

Schirmer Books: A Division of Macmillan, Inc. New York
Jacket Design: Wendy Taylor