Alessandro Scarlatti (b. Palermo, 1660; d. Naples, 1725)

From 1684 to 1702, while he was director of the Royal Chapel of the Viceroy of Naples, Alessandro Scarlatti wrote on average two operas a year for the royal palace and theater. These were large-scale works, with complicated plots and elaborate scenic designs, but few were published. His Mitridate Eupatore, written in 1707, is available in a piano-vocal score, although the original five acts have been compressed into three. Scarlatti took great care with recitatives, expressing the hope that he might succeed so well with them that their “force and efficacy will not make one long for the arias, as usually happens.” Although he is best remembered for his operas, he wrote works in a number of other genres as well, including 14 oratorios, a number of orchestral and keyboard works, and over 600 cantatas—making him the leading composer of the form. His son Domenico also became a well-known composer and keyboard virtuoso.