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1314

DOMENICO SCARLATTI

13 SONATAS

the musical heritage society inc.

ANNE QUEFFELEC, Piano

MHS 1314 MHS 1314

DOMENICO SCARLATTI

13 SONATAS

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Side 1:

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SONATA in

SONATA in

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SONATA in

D MAJOR, L. 465 XHM

B MINOS, JL 449

D MAJOR, L.14 *

E MAJOR, L. 430 X. ^

C-SHARP MINOR, L. 256

D MINOR, L. 413 43

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Side 2:

• • SONATA in C MAJOR, L. 104 ^ ^

* SONATA in F MINOR, L. 382 x

5 SONATA in D MAJOR, L. 424 x M 1

SONATA in B MINOR, L. 33

* SONATA in G MAJOR, L. 286 * %°1'

* SONATA in E-FLAT MAJOR, L. 143 * ^

FUGUE in G MINOR, L.499 N %&-

ANNE QUEFFELEC, Piano

Anne Queffelec was born in 1948 and began studying piano at the age of six with Blanche Bascourret de Gueraldi, continuing her studies with Lelia Gousseau after entering the Paris Con¬ servatory in 1964. She has also taken part in the Vienna summer sessions organized by Alfred Brendel, Paul Badura-Skoda, and Jorg Demus.

She has won many prizes for her work: first prize for piano at the Conservatory at the age of seventeen; unanimous first prize at the 1968 International Competition in Munich; fifth prize at the 1969 International Competition in Leeds. She has made numerous concert appearances throughout Europe and has had many of her recordings broadcast over radio and television in France, England, and Germany.

The Scarlatti family, like the Bachs and the Couperins, was a veritable dynasty of musicians: no fewer than seven famous composers between the 17th and the 19th century. The family was originally from Sicily but became established in Naples, which is where Domenico Scarlatti was born in 1685 — the same year as Bach and Handel. His father Alessandro (1660-1725) was one of the masters of the Neapolitan opera, and his son must have inherited his talent, for at the age of sixteen the precocious organist and composer was admitted to the royal chapel of Naples. For a time, Domenico composed motets and operas and could not decide between the church and the theater.

At the age of twenty, Domenico moved to Venice, where he became friends with Handel, worked with F. Gasperini, and became introduced to Vivaldi. Four years later, he made Rome his residence for a decade and became known as an opera com¬ poser, studied the art of Corelli, and became Chapel Master of the Cappella Giulia at the Vatican: his superb Stabat Mater and his last opera (1718) were composed during this period. At thirty-five, he became Chapel Master of King Joao V in Lisbon and was later to instruct the Infanta Maria Barbara, his brilliant harpsichord student, whom he followed to Madrid upon her marriage to the future Ferdinand VI. Scarlatti continued to reside in Madrid after her death in 1757 and became one of the staple

personages at court — along with the famous castrato Farinelli, whose generosity often helped bail Domenico out of financial difficulty. Madrid is also where Scarlatti wrote some 555 harpsi¬ chord sonatas — he had not entered his specialty until 1738 but managed to make up for his tardiness. These sonatas make him one of the three great masters of the instrument, along with J. S. Bach and Frangois Couperin.

Soon after the King of Portugal made Scarlatti Knight of the Order of Santiago, the latter dedicated a series of thirty sonatas to his benefactor, publishing them in 1738 under the title Essercizi per Gravicembalo. His later sonatas were periodically compiled for the use of Maria Barbara, who became queen of Spain in 1746. Ralph Kirkpatrick’s scientific chronological classi¬ fication has been able to correct many previous errors and prove that half the 555 sonatas were composed "in feverish creative activity” when Scarlatti was between 67 and 72 years of age.

Kirkpatrick has also been able to schematically define the Scarlatti sonatas as binary precursors of the future classical sonata form of K. P. E. Bach, Haydn, and Mozart: two sections divided by a double bar, the first establishing a basic tonality and con¬ cluding with a series of decisive cadences, the second starting with the tonic double bar and working toward an equally definitive conclusion on the basis of the thematical material of the first half. As schematic as this may sound, Scarlatti is also full of incredible surprises and refreshing vigor. The themes are generally rather short, original, and personal; both the melodic idea and the harmonic color are written in a manner which is precise, frank, clear, and amply imaginative. His virtuosity mani¬ fests no self-consciousness, no gratuitous coquettishness, no man¬ nerism — only sovereign elegance and poetic beauty, without equal except in Maurice Ravel’s genius.

As Scarlatti’s works are partially based on the old Suite de danses form, all the rhythmic parts are represented: the allemande, courante, sarabande, minuet, and the gigue, among others. We also find the staccato plasticity of the traditional harpsichord

toccata, as well as extremely inventive and refined rhythmical patterns; the influence of Spanish folklore also makes itself known (the indefatigable traveler Charles Burney wrote that "many passages in the master’s pieces were, in part, imitations of . . . the songs of simple people”). Frequent zapateados were even con¬ sidered by Padre Antonio Soler.

Posterity has not always been kind to Scarlatti: his works were largely ignored until the "renaissance” of the twentieth century. The Calabrian musicographer Alessandro Longo (1684- 1945) and the harpsichord genius Wanda Landowska (1879-1959) can be credited with most of the rediscovery. It must be stated, however, that not all nineteenth-century composers were oblivious to Scarlatti: Chopin is quoted as having said ". . . If I did not have reason to fear the disapproval of various silly people, I would play Scarlatti at my concerts. One day he will be played often during concerts, and the public will enjoy and appreciate him.”

This singularly prophetic statement leads us to a question many people ask from time to time: in our purist times, do we have the right to play Scarlatti’s harpsichord compositions on the piano? However, Chopin’s statement should remove our doubts, especially when coupled with the realization that the piano can make up for many of the harpsichord’s insufficiencies (like the guitar, it is a "short-sound” instrument, not as satisfactory as the piano for various trills, appogiaturas, and other ornaments). Scarlatti was progressive, and one of the many harpsichordists who seemed unconsciously aware of the instrument’s fallibilities: he would certainly have wished for a more legato instrument with more power. Even Vladimir Horowitz is of the opinion that the substitution can be made under certain conditions: the pianist must be discreet and refrain from attempting to imitate the harpsichord; he must not use the piano’s resources to falsify the musical style. He must be aware that what his instrument can do is to add color to the music — which, after all, is exactly what it needs.

CLAUDE ROSTAND

Translated from the French by Sandra Waklis

Stereo records may be played on modern mono equipment. It is advisable to wipe record with antistatic dust cloth before playing.

Timings:

Sidel: 4:31 - 4:13 - 3:17 - 3:26 - 5:29 - 3:39

Side 2: 2:00 - 4:08 • 2:41 - 7:14 - 2:02 - 4:20 - 3:52

the musical heuitage society me. 1991 BRoa&way, new yoRk, n. y. 10023

Recorded by ERATO

Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 72-750047

| MUSICAL HERITAGE SOCIETY | DOMENICO SCARLATTI

13 SONATAS

MHS1314 Side 1 33 1/3 RPM

SONATA in D MAJOR, L. 46 5 SONATA in B MINOR, L. 449 SONATA in D MAJOR, L. 14 SONATA in E MAJOR, L. 4 30 SONATA in C SHARP MINOR, L. 256 SONATA in D MINOR. L. 4 1 3