Operatic Music by Alessandro Scarlatti - Essay Example

Alessandro Scarlatti Introduction Alessandro Scarlatti took his place among opera composers during the late 1600's to the early 1700's. Some of his operas have been brought back to life by modern opera singers such as Cecilia Bartoli (Page, Section C4). Bartoli presented Alessandro Scarlatti's work as part of her recital called 'Musica Proibita' (Prohibited Music) presented at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall in January of 2005. Bartoli's performance focused on the period of time when secular opera presentations were banned by the Pope (first decade of the eighteenth century). During this timeframe composers, such as Scarlatti, wrote operas that would not be considered 'banned'. This type of opera is called oratorio and tells biblical tales. Other great composers of that time include Handel (Messiah) and Mendelssohn (Elijah). Biography It is believed that Alessandro Scarlatti was born in Palermo, Italy on May 2nd of 1660. He arrived in Rome when he was twelve years old and studied with Giacomo Carissimi (another great composer of oratorios and secular cantatas). Like other young artisans of his time he was most probably sent to Rome to learn, and work, for the Catholic Church. Musicians at that time were considered in the same social class as tailors and carpenters. Scarlatti's first opera written was called "Gli Equivoci nel Sembiante" and was performed at the palace home of Queen Christina of Sweden (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913). He was employed to the Viceroy as Maestro di Capella for eighteen years and then moved to Rome to be employed as assistant maesto (and then maestro) of S. Maria Maggiore (Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913). From there he moved to Naples, spent a short time again in Rome, and returned to Naples where he died. Scarlatti is credited with establishing Naples, Italy as the center of operatic activity (Concise Dictionary of Opera). Scarlatti was educated and held postings in Rome but always returned to Naples as his chosen home. This is understandable when you consider that his extended family had also relocated from Sicily to Naples. It seems most of his family also made the trek to Rome first and then to Naples. It is clear that Scarlatti came from a musical family. His son, Domenico, was a great composer and skilled harpsichordist. Scarlatti's brother, Francesco, was a violinist and composer who penned the oratorio called "Agnus Occisus ab Origine Mundi". His other brother, Tomasso, sang in Naples. Alessandro had two sisters, Anna Maria (1661-1703) and Melchiorra Brigida (1663-1736), who were both singers that worked in Rome and Naples. It is believed that Giuseppe Scarlatti was Alessandro's grandson. Giuseppe was also a composer who wrote several operas (Catholic Encyclopedia). Musical Style Scarlatti is considered the founder of what is called the 'Neapolitan'style of composing. His works transitioned operatic composing from Baroque to pre-classical Neapolitan style. He is considered by many a Baroque composer. "Scarlatti is noted for his thematic development and chromatic harmony which he used with great mastery and in a way anticipates the work of much later composers, among them W.A. Mozart and Franz Schubert" (Dent, p2). Scarlatti is considered the liberator of dramatic expression in opera. Although limited by the Pope's legislation that outlawed secular operas Scarlatti embraced the limitations and created notable oratorios and masses. Many of Scarlatti's works have survived the ages and are performed to this day (Cecelia Bartoli's performance). Scarlatti made good use of the orchestra and performer for operatic expression. Scarlatti is credited with establishing the form of Italian operatic overture with three sections: allegro-adagio-allegro. Many consider this as the forerunner of classical symphony (Dent, p2). He changed how the operatic orchestra contributes to the opera by composing orchestral accompaniment to operatic voice. Instruments were given parts to accompany the opera singers and the orchestra was considered very much a part of the operatic performance. This was a break from the past as orchestras were used as introductions for the opera with no other significant contribution. Cantate da Camera of Alessandro Scarlatti The Scarlatti Project, founded to preserve Scarlatti's work, has collected manuscripts of some of Scarlatti's greatest works. These works are called the Cantate da Camera of Alessandro Scarlatti. It is in these works that one can see Scarlatti's attention to details and how he treats voice as one of the instruments available to him to tell the story. In these works Scarlatti breaks with tradition and gives parts to the orchestra thus making the operatic performance one of marriage of voice and instruments. According to Rosalind Halton of the Scarlatti Project "He never abandoned the possibilities of merging recitative into arioso, or of setting up a dynamic interaction between accompaniment and voice. Scarlatti was the first Italian composer known to use recitativo stromentato, the recitative of heightened intensity accompanied by instruments"(Halton, 2000). Edward Joseph Dent wrote the most complete book about Alesandro Scarlatti mainly because he was frustrated with the lack of a good compliation of Scarlatti's works. It is in this book, Alessandro Scarlatti: His Life and Works, that Dent provides a complete history and works of Scarlatti. Dent points out that, although Scarlatti produced many works, only about 30 of his works remain. The others are lost to history. Scarlatti's early works reflect his training and the operatic format of his time. With time Scarlatti developed his own style and produced works that were uniquely his own. 'Telemaco' was one of Scarlatti's works of comedy. "The comic scenes are among the best that Scarlatti ever wrote" (Dent, p156). Telemaco was written when Scarlatti was in Rome in 1718. It is in this work that Scarlatti uses instruments to play the part of birdcalls. "The aria uses two solo oboes, strings and continuo" (Opera for Everyone, p75). In Telemaco Scarlatti composed an aria called 'Del ciel chi non teme' (Who does not fear from the Heavens) in which Minerva descends from the Heavens to the accompaniment of a trumpet, two horns, and four instruments of her own. All of these instruments are accompanied by the stringed orchestra. At the end of the opera Minerva returns to the Heavens with the same accompaniment. One of Alessandro Scarlatti's most famous works was his last. La Griselda was written in 1721 just four years before his death. It is this work that is considered Scarlatti's most mature work (Dent, p164). The actual signed work states that the score was written for Prince Ruspoli, who was The Grand Master of the Sacred Apostolic Hospice (a hereditary position in the pontifical household that was eliminated in 1968). La Griselda is the story of a 'patient Grizzel'. Other characters include Gualtiero the tyrant, Ottone the villain, Roberto and Costanza, and Corrado. The most famous part of the opera is Grizelda's aria in the second act. It is here that Scarlatti "has shown a truly wonderful ingenuity in making the conventional aria form serve as a vehicle for the most passionate appeals of Griselda to her son, to Ottone and to heaven" (Dent, p165). Scarlatti ends La Griselda with a what is described as a conventional melodious but with a great variety of expression. In comparason to 'Telemaco' La Griselda has less characterization. At the same time that Scarlatti presented La Griselda, Pope Clement XI promoted him to Roman nobility status. It is at this point that Scarlatti reached the pinnacle of his career after which he retired to Naples to teach. It is toward the end of his career that Scarletti had figured out that there are phrases suitable for wind instruments and phrases suitable for stringed instruments. He learns that it just doesn't work if he has trumpets and oboes playing at the same time as stringed instruments. In La Griselda he has the trumpet, oboe, viola, and violin all playing at once. Dent called this balance of instruments old fashioned (Dent, p172). Conclusion Alessandro Scarlatti is not a name that pops into ones head when thinking about operatic music. But, this composer is one of the most important contributors to the development of modern opera. Scarlatti was a member of a musical family that relocated from Palermo Sicily to Naples via Rome. During the timeframe of his life young musicians were sent to Rome to work for the Catholic Church much like other artisans of that time. It is believed that Scarlatti was a young artisan who was sent to Rome. It is possible that his siblings also made the journey as all ended up in Naples via Rome. Scarlatti was a composer of the late Baroque era and is credited with the development of Neapolitan-Classical music. His early works reflect the training and operatic form of his time. Scarlatti's work was influenced by the Pope's legislation that outlawed secular operas. Scarlatti moved to creating oratories and masses with the same skill he applied to operas before the Pope's mandate. When secular operas were again permitted Scarlatti moved back to creating secular operas. Scarlatti provided many contributions to the development of Classical Opera. He is credited with establishing the allegro-adagio-allegro form in operatic overture. He is also credited with moving opera forward using instruments to play specific parts in the opera with voice. This was a move away from operatic form of his time which had the orchestra playing in accompaniment rather than with specific parts. In his work 'Telemaco' Scarlatti used instruments to play birdcalls. This was his best comic work. Alessandro Scarlatti experimented with different usages of the orchestra and voice. He discovered that trumpets and oboes shouldn't be used at the same time as stringed instruments. Many would argue that his last work, La Griselda, was his best work. La Griselda is a compilation of all that Scarlatti had learned and applied in his work. At the end of his career, and life, he was rewarded with Nobility status by Pope Clement XI. Detail from the autograph score of Cantata da camera: Ombre tacite e sole, 31.10.1716 Source: British Library Works Cited: "Carissimi, Giacomo." Encyclopdia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. 1 Dec. 2007 http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9020337. Dent, A. Scarlatti: His Life and Works (London, 1905); GROVE, Dictionary of Music and Musicians (London, 1880); THIBAUT, Die Reinheit der Tonkunst, 123. Fanelli, Jean Grundy. "Opera for Everyone: A Historic, Social, Artistic, Literary, and Musical Study." Scarecrow Press. 2004. Halton, Rosalind. 2000. The Scarlatti Project. Cantate da Camera of Alessandro Scarlatti. Retrieved December 2, 2007 From http://www.scarlattiproject.com/shared/article.phparticle_ID=2&ref=scarlattiproject Haskins. "Sonatas." American Record Guide 68.6 (Nov. 2005): 190-190. Academic Search Premier.1 December 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspxdirect=true&db=aph&AN=19663387&site=ehost-live Hugh Canning. "Alessandro Scarlatti." Sunday Times, The (n.d.). Newspaper Source. 1 December 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspxdirect=true&db=nfh&AN=7EH1011523031&site=ehost-live Nicolas Rothwell. "Scarlatti takes centre stage." Australian, The (n.d.). Newspaper Source. 1 December 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspxdirect=true&db=nfh&AN=200401171B18386124&site=ehost-live "opera." Encyclopdia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. 1 Dec. 2007 http://search.eb.com/eb/article-27831 Tim Page. "Cecilia Bartoli's Heavenly Oratorio." Washington Post, The (n.d.). January 28th 2005 Edition Newspaper Source. 1 December 2007. "Scarlatti, Alessandro ." Encyclopdia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. 1 Dec. 2007 . music, Western ." Encyclopdia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopdia Britannica Online. 1 Dec. 2007 . "Scarlatti, (Pietro) Alessandro (Gaspare)"The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera. John Warrack and Ewan West. Oxford University Press, 1996. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. December 1, 2007 http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.htmlsubview=Main&entry=t77.e3053 "Scarlatti, Alessandro"The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. Michael Kennedy. Oxford University Press, 2007. 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