Domenico Scarlatti Sonata In The Spanish Style Of Music Study

Italian composer Domenico Scarlatti worked in Spain as a royal musician during Baroque era. Both he and his works have attracted researchers interests globally. His 555 keyboard sonatas expanded the technical and musical possibilities of the harpsichord and substantially contributed to the rise of Spanish music in the late nineteenth century.The purpose of this research project has been to investigate and analyze the Spanish music style presented in the keyboard sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti. The study has been developed in the following six sections.Chapter 1. History. This section introduces the life of Scarlatti, features of his works, Spanish royal house in Baroque period, and development of Spanish music. By evaluating the historical, geographical and musical environments, as well Scarlatti's family and social roots, this thesis proves the existence of Spanish styles in Scarlatti's sonatas.Chapter 2. Research of Ralph Kirkpatrick. In this section, the work ofRalph Kirkpatrick, who was the authority on the Domenico Scarlatti study, has been translated into Chinese. In addition, the view of author is included in support of the evidence of existence of Spanish influence in the keyboard sonatas.Chapter 3. Dance music. Spain as a nation enjoys singing and dancing, including various types of folk music. Using folk dance as the study object, this section compares and contrasts dance music terminologies in the keyboard sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti to those in sonatas of other Spanish and European composers. Emphasizing on rhythm models, this thesis shows the effects of Spanish folk dance music on Scarlatti's works.Chapter 4. Guitar. Guitar, the symbol of Spanish music, has inspired composers for generations. The works of Scarlatti showcase various guitar technologies, which are significant features of Spanish music. This section forms a comparative study of Scarlatti's sonatas and the works of other guitar composers in history to support the finding of Spanish style in Scarlatti's music.Chapter 5. Research on other techniques of Spanish style. Based on conventional methodologies applied in music study, this chapter breaks down the features of Spanish music (cantus, rhythm, scale and melody)and attempts to discover the presence of Spanish influence on a comprehensive scale.Chapter 6. Artistic significance of Spanish style in the sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti. This section introduces the artistic origin of Spanish features in the sonatas. Furthermore, it probes the artistic value of Scarlatti's sonatas in musical social functions, classical arts, social education, artistic study, and on music production afterwards.