Domenico Scarlatti: K21 in D major

Composer: Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Harpsichordist: Pieter-Jan Belder

Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian Composer that is highly regarded for his 555 keyboard sonatas, which greatly expanded the technical and musical possibilities of the harpsichord (Kirkpatrick, 2020). The son of Alessandro Scarlatti, the renowned Neapolitan opera composer, Domenico Scarlatti took over his father's position in Rome as musical director and composer to queen Maria Casimira of Poland (Kirkpatrick, 2020). In 1719 Scarlatti left Rome and travelled to Lisban, where he became musical director to King John V of Portugal, as well as music master to the King's younger brother and to Princess Maria Barbara de Braganca, who became his patroness and for whom most Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas were later written (Kirkpatrick, 2020). When his pupil Maria Barbara married the Spanish Crown prince in 1728, Scarlatti followed the royal pair to Spain, where he was to spend his remaining years (Kirkpatrick, 2020). Domenico Scarlatti's work has revealed one of the most original and complex styles of the 18th century.

References
Kirkpatrick, R. (2020, October 22). Domenico Scarlatti. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Domenico-Scarlatti