This guide is part of our overview of the essential classical guitar repertoire. Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757) was an Italian composer who spent most of his life at the Spanish court and left behind 555 keyboard sonatas of such variety, wit, and Spanish colour that they have become a treasured part of the classical guitar's repertoire.
The Spanish Keyboard Master
Born in Naples on the same day as Handel, Scarlatti spent his formative years in Italy before following his royal patroness, Maria Barbara of Portugal, to Spain when she married the Spanish crown prince in 1729. He remained at the Spanish court for the rest of his life, eventually settling in Madrid, and the culture around him — the flamenco guitar, the rhythms of the Iberian peninsula, the modal inflections of Spanish folk music — permeated his writing profoundly. His 555 sonatas, composed primarily for the harpsichord, are mostly single-movement binary-form works of one to five minutes, yet their variety is extraordinary: some are lyrical and singing; others are percussive and dance-like; many feature hand-crossing effects, rapid repeated notes, and wide leaps that seem to imitate guitar strumming and ornament.
This Spanish guitar quality was immediately apparent to transcribers. Several sonatas have entered the standard classical guitar repertoire — particularly those in keys that lie naturally on the guitar (E major, A major, D minor) and those whose figurations suit the instrument's specific capabilities. The guitar gives these works a warmer, more intimate tone than the harpsichord, and the Spanish flavour of many sonatas feels entirely at home on the instrument.
