Die Bedeutung des Herzogs von Medinaceli für Alessandro Scarlattis Schaffen zwischen 1687 und 1702

Abstract

This article considers the operas composed by Alessandro Scarlatti from 1687 to 1702 combining for the first time a deep insight on historical sources with musical analysis. Firstly, historiographical issues are discussed, explaining why the main contributions have not resulted in a satisfactory overview of the 35 new titles composed in those years. New sources are discussed to explain the complex networks between Rome and Spanish Naples in which the operatic output by Scarlatti in these years must be considered. The second part of the article deals with single operas and problems regarding musical form and style. An overview of the operas composed for carnival seasons from 1688 to 1702 is presented, considering the number of singers involved and the number of scenes per act. Such an approach, stemming from music-dramaturgical analysis, make it possible to figure out new patterns in the formal disposition of operas that had not previously been taken into account. The final section of the article examines the physical and musical production of operas posing a close reading of the case of the carnival season of 1696-1697 as well as of the cycle of five librettos written by Stampiglia for viceroy Medinaceli (three of them set to music by Scarlatti) dealing with ancient Roman history, as a means to promote wider dissemination of the cultural discourse that was being developed, at the same time, within the Accademia Palatina.