Scarlatti- The Keyboard Sonata King

Did you know that Scarlatti was knighted?! In 1738 he was employed by the Queen of Spain and they were such good friends and impressed by him that she had him knighted.

Scarlatti was also in a "competition" with Handel to see who was the better harpsichordist and organist. Scarlatti won for the harpsichord! However, Handel was clearly a better organist. They had an amazing friendship throughout their lives. (You can see what some people believe the competition to look like on our YouTube playlist!)

Scarlatti was the KING of the keyboard sonatas. He wrote over 550!! At least 330 of them were paired with a major and minor of the same key. When they are performed, they are normally paired together by a key.

Want to find out more? Fill in our Composer of the Month sheet! You can download it on our website under the 'For Parents' section.

Enjoy listening to Scarlatti on the YouTube playlist HERE.