Alessandro Scarlatti
Alessandro Scarlatti earned an important place in musical history for a variety
of reasons. He is said to have been the first composer to write a string quartet. Moreover,
in developing the "Italian" overture, as distinct from the "French" overture (Ewen). This
paper will be discussing some of Scarlatti's most important works.
One of Scarlatti's most famous operas is Mitridate Eupatore. It was written in
1707, for Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo in Venice. It is mainly about the revenge of
Prince Eupatore and his sister Laodice on their mother, Queen Stratonica. The Queen
has murdered their father and married her lover Farnace (Palisca). There are a lot of da
capo arias in this opera, one being "Esci ormai". It opens with a sixteen-measure
concerto-like ritornello that sets the mood of fiery resolution. The Queen then proclaims
to her people that she is banishing mother-love from her breast for their sake. The......
Join Now or Login to view the rest of this paper.
Approximate Word Count: 828
Approximate Pages: 4 (260 words per double-spaced page) |