Sonata in A minor, K. 110
Domenico Scarlatti
Domenico Scarlatti was born in Naples, Italy, on October 26, 1685. A brilliant musician at an early age, Scarlatti followed in the compositional footsteps of his father, Alessandro Scarlatti. In 1708, Scarlatti moved to Rome to become maestro di cappella to the exiled queen of Poland, Maria Casimira. He later became head of the Cappella Giulia, the choir of St. Peter’s Basilica that sings for all solemn functions of the Vatican. While in Rome, Scarlatti composed many of his operas and serenatas.
During his tenure in Rome, Scarlatti developed a friendship with Portuguese ambassador Marquis de Fontes. In 1719, he was appointed to be the master of the royal chapel by João V of Portugal. A teacher …show more content…
It was in Paris that de Falla published his first piano pieces and songs. In 1914, de Falla published his ever-popular Siete Canciones Populares Españoles. This song set was first written for soprano and piano. Since then, it has been arranged for varying solo instruments in place of the soprano voice. Besides being de Falla’s most arranged composition, it is one of the most frequently performed sets of Spanish-language art songs. The styles of each song are strikingly diverse. They are each representative of a different region of …show more content…
It was at this time that he made his first composition sale. In 1920, Copland sold his piano solo The Cat and the Mouse to Durand and Sons, the most respected music publisher in France.
A depiction of Jean de la Fontaine’s fable “The Old Cat and the Young Mouse,” Copland’s The Cat and the Mouse uses running passages and technical rhythms to illustrate a typical housecat’s mouse-hunt. However, some maintain that the piece is related to a more sinister viewpoint of life and death. Howard Pollack may have said it best in his book Aaron Copland: The Life & Work of an Uncommon Man:
“The portrayal of a cat stalking a mouse—unpredictably coy and sinister—inspires a more objective and ironic tone. The nervous scampering up and down the piano suggests, further, some connection with machine music of a decidedly ominous variety, as if the threat of age and death were related to that of industrial life. This includes the climax—crashing, dissonant chords followed by a soft passage marked ‘funereal’ that anticipates the man far more solemn dirges of Copland’s later
Domenico Scarlatti
Domenico Scarlatti was born in Naples, Italy, on October 26, 1685. A brilliant musician at an early age, Scarlatti followed in the compositional footsteps of his father, Alessandro Scarlatti. In 1708, Scarlatti moved to Rome to become maestro di cappella to the exiled queen of Poland, Maria Casimira. He later became head of the Cappella Giulia, the choir of St. Peter’s Basilica that sings for all solemn functions of the Vatican. While in Rome, Scarlatti composed many of his operas and serenatas.
During his tenure in Rome, Scarlatti developed a friendship with Portuguese ambassador Marquis de Fontes. In 1719, he was appointed to be the master of the royal chapel by João V of Portugal. A teacher …show more content…
It was in Paris that de Falla published his first piano pieces and songs. In 1914, de Falla published his ever-popular Siete Canciones Populares Españoles. This song set was first written for soprano and piano. Since then, it has been arranged for varying solo instruments in place of the soprano voice. Besides being de Falla’s most arranged composition, it is one of the most frequently performed sets of Spanish-language art songs. The styles of each song are strikingly diverse. They are each representative of a different region of …show more content…
It was at this time that he made his first composition sale. In 1920, Copland sold his piano solo The Cat and the Mouse to Durand and Sons, the most respected music publisher in France.
A depiction of Jean de la Fontaine’s fable “The Old Cat and the Young Mouse,” Copland’s The Cat and the Mouse uses running passages and technical rhythms to illustrate a typical housecat’s mouse-hunt. However, some maintain that the piece is related to a more sinister viewpoint of life and death. Howard Pollack may have said it best in his book Aaron Copland: The Life & Work of an Uncommon Man:
“The portrayal of a cat stalking a mouse—unpredictably coy and sinister—inspires a more objective and ironic tone. The nervous scampering up and down the piano suggests, further, some connection with machine music of a decidedly ominous variety, as if the threat of age and death were related to that of industrial life. This includes the climax—crashing, dissonant chords followed by a soft passage marked ‘funereal’ that anticipates the man far more solemn dirges of Copland’s later