Alessandro Scarlatti

Alessandro Scarlatti (2 May 1660 – 22 October 1725) was a prominent Italian Baroque composer, best known for his operas and chamber cantatas, and is widely considered the founder of the Neapolitan school of opera.

Early Life and Education

Born in Palermo, Sicily, Scarlatti's exact early musical training remains partially undocumented, though it is known that his family relocated to Rome when he was a child. In Rome, he received his formal musical education, most notably studying under the renowned composer Giacomo Carissimi. Carissimi's influence is evident in Scarlatti's early vocal and sacred works, providing him with a strong foundation in counterpoint and the Italian vocal tradition. By his early twenties, Scarlatti had begun to establish his reputation within the vibrant musical and aristocratic circles of Rome.

Career and Professional Appointments

In 1684, Scarlatti moved to Naples, a pivotal moment in his career. He was appointed maestro di cappella to the Spanish viceroy, a position that granted him access to the city's public theaters and allowed him to produce numerous operas. His immediate success in Naples established him as the leading musical figure in the city. His career was interspersed with periods in Rome, where he secured powerful and wealthy patrons, including Queen Christina of Sweden and Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni. For Ottoboni, he composed many of his finest chamber cantatas and serenatas. Despite these Roman connections and brief tenures elsewhere, Naples remained the center of his professional life. In 1708, he was reappointed as the royal chapel master in Naples, a prestigious post he held until his death in 1725.

Musical Style and Innovations

Scarlatti's contributions to Baroque music were foundational, particularly in the development of vocal music. In the realm of opera, he played a crucial role in the evolution of opera seria. He standardized its structure by heavily emphasizing the da capo aria, a ternary form that allowed singers to showcase their vocal virtuosity and improvisational skills during the repeated A section. Furthermore, Scarlatti is credited with establishing the standard three-movement Italian overture (sinfonia) structure of fast-slow-fast. This structural innovation was highly influential and eventually evolved into the classical symphony.

Beyond the theater, Scarlatti was a prolific composer of chamber cantatas, writing over 600 works in this genre. These cantatas are celebrated for their expressive melodic lines, sophisticated harmonic language, and intricate interplay between the voice and the basso continuo. They served as a primary medium for his musical experimentation and were highly prized by aristocratic patrons. His sacred music, which includes oratorios, masses, and motets, also reflects his mastery of counterpoint, dramatic expression, and the polychoral techniques he absorbed during his time in Rome.

Legacy and Influence

The legacy of Alessandro Scarlatti extends far beyond his own lifetime, shaping the trajectory of European music in the 18th century. As the patriarch of the Neapolitan school, he trained and influenced a generation of composers who would dominate the musical landscape, including his own son, the eminent keyboard composer Domenico Scarlatti. His operatic reforms and vocal styling deeply influenced contemporaries and successors such as Johann Adolph Hasse, Antonio Vivaldi, and George Frideric Handel. Scarlatti's formal innovations in operatic structure, his refinement of the Italian overture, and his elevation of the chamber cantata cement his status as one of the most important and prolific transitional figures between the early and high Baroque periods.