Scarlatti | Christmas Cantata

Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725) – Italian composer of the Baroque period born in Sicily in Palermo. He is one of the most important artists associated with the Neapolitan centre. He came from a musical family, also his son Domenico became a composer, the author of the famous harpsichord sonatas. Scarlatti became famous primarily for opera, as one of the most important creators of the Neapolitan school. His biography is torn between two cities: Rome and Naples. Traces of this tear can also be found in his output – secular, operatic, created mainly in Naples, and religious, written in Rome, where the production of operas was for some periods banned by popes.

Scarlatti's childhood and youth are connected with Rome, where he moved with his mother in 1672. At the age of 18, he took the position of maestro di capella in the church of San Giacomo degli Incurabili, and thanks to the patronage of the Swedish Queen Christina, who at that time was in Rome, he received numerous orders, among others for oratorios and operas. He moved to Naples for the first time in 1684, where he became a bandmaster at the court of the viceroy. He returned to Rome several times, he was also at the court in Florence and Venice, and his numerous moves were determined not so much by artistic considerations but by the changing political situation in Italy. In 1716, the composer received the title of nobility from Pope Clement XI. He died in Naples in 1725.

Christmas cantatas "Non só qual piú m'ingombra" from 1716 and "O di Betlemme altera" from 1695, both intended for solo voice, also show a certain tear between secular and sacral style in the works of Scarlatti. Although they touch upon religious themes, they are maintained in a pastoral style, for example, imitating pastoral instruments or by stylizing the siciliano dance.