Stabat Mater

Domenico Scarlatti is known today for his many harpsichord sonatas. The earlier part of his career, however, was concentrated on sacred and secular vocal music. While his Te Deum was probably written for Lisbon, the other works included here come from Scarlatti’s earlier period in Rome, where he was employed for a time at Santa Maria Maggiore and officially at the papal Cappella Giulia. The best known example of Scarlatti’s church music is his Stabat Mater. A remarkable synthesis of the old and the new, the work is scored for ten voices, two five part choirs, and continuo; all voices are seldom heard together but are deployed in a series of contrasting and sometimes florid textures.