A new look at the keyboard sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti
for people who use both sides of their brain.
Domenico Scarlatti, born October 26 1685 Napoli, died July 23
1757 Madrid, composed some of the most beautiful music of all time. This site provides the background for studying and listening
to his nearly 600 pieces for solo keyboard instruments.
Use the navigation links underlined below or at the tops of
pages to reach the files in this website (the pdf files should open in a new window) which are, with date of latest revision:
Cogito
(my premises and conclusions) 2-22-12
Curriculum (dates in Scarlatti’s life) 1-24-12
Citations (bibliography of works I used) 2-29-12
Conversion of Kirkpatrick numbers to primary sources; calendar for 2012 with matching
Parma and Venezia numbers 1-14-12
Catalogue (all of the accepted Scarlatti sonatas, and many of the doubtful ones); through
this launch page there are links to the full Catalogue pdf file 5-21-12
Collections (18th century Scarlatti source collections and their contents); launch page
to the full Collections pdf file 5-6-12
Card games (experiments to determine the order in which some of the collections were
compiled); launch page to the full Card games pdf file 3-8-12
Contemporaries (keyboard pieces by other composers in collections arranged somewhat like
Scarlatti’s); launch page to the full Contemporaries pdf file 3-8-12
Chronology (methods used to assign dates to the sonatas); launch page to the full Chart of sonatas arranged by about dates and keys pdf file 5-8-12
Characteristics (keys, themes and other features arranged in chronological tables); launch
page to the full Characteristics pdf file 5-19-12
Capriccio (notes toward a definition of a Scarlatti
sonata) 3-8-12
I began writing the materials for this
website February 25, 2004 and first published them here April 30, 2007; this latest update is May 21,
2012 (fifth anniversary)
Summary of the more important changes to this website
May 2010 to April 2011:
-
revised Chart of about dates;
-
revised Characteristics;
-
commedia dell'arte characters (Capriccio, Catalogue);
-
Lodovico Giustini and Vicente Rodriguez added to Contemporaries;
-
information on Münster 4&5 scribe identified by Anthony Hart added to Collections;
-
golden sections (φ) found for all sonatas (Catalogue, Characteristics, Cogito,
Capriccio)
May 2011:
- Roberto Pagano and Serguei Prozhoguin articles and Venezia online added to Citations;
- 1739 date for Essercizi reconfirmed in spite of Prozhoguin theory (Catalogue, Collections,
Cardgames);
- possible direct connection of Scarlatti with Münster 4&5 scribe through Francesco
Corradini and confirmation of 1754 as the actual date of copying (Collections);
- Correspondence file appended to website (link at bottom of this page);
- additions and corrections to Curriculum;
- reasons for Scarlatti to be in Halle in 1728 discussed (Curriculum, Cogito): possible
purchase of Silbermann piano for dom Antonio and possible meeting with J S Bach;
- more Parma and Venezia calendar associations found (Capriccio, Catalogue);
- identification of the meaning of the Parma 13:7 C to 14:4 C sequence (Catalogue);
- association of Wien Q15116 with L'Augier investigated further (Collections);
- possible influence of Scarlatti on Mozart through L'Augier noted (Catalogue);
- title-page transcriptions improved (Collections, Catalogue);
- investigation of golden section added to Albero worklist (Contemporaries);
- Madrid 11&12 maps added to Catalogue;
- major reorganization and proofreading of the notes in the Catalogue begun
June-July 2011:
- Catalogue notes reorganization completed;
- Newberry Library (Chicago) case ms 5110 described and determined likely to be a late-20th
century hoax (Cardgames);
- more evidence of Scarlatti contact with J S Bach (1728) added to Catalogue: see Parma
10:8 d;
- golden section identifications for most sonatas described in the Catalogue notes (in addition
to the locations already given on the maps);
- more Venezia 1742 & 1749 graphic characteristics examined (Collections and Catalogue);
- P13:7 C group of 28 sonatas explored further (Catalogue);
- revisions to Zaragoza (Collections);
- calendar for 2012 with Parma and Venezia numbers for each date (Conversion)
October 2011-May 2012:
- sources now available online added: Johnson
1752 Collections), Seixas CIC110 (Contemporaries);
- Agueda Pedrero-Encabo citations for Barcelona
and Montserrat mss, Essercizi and Rodriguez Tocatas added; maps made and her newly published sonatas attributed to Scarlatti
discussed (Catalogue, Collections & Contemporaries);
- problems with measure numbers corrected in Catalogue;
- changes to all files continue as indicated by dates next
to the links above
comments or corrections?
