Domenico Scarlatti

Domenico Scarlatti (born Naples, 26 October 1685, died Madrid, 23 July 1757) was an Italian composer. His fame rests on his 555 keyboard sonatas. Called Essercizi when composed, as harpsichord exercises for Portuguese Princess Maria Magdalena Bárbara whom he followed to Madrid when she became Queen of Spain, they have become a staple of the piano repertoire, Vladimir Horowitz being a renowned performer. Famous harpsichord versions have been recorded by Wanda Landowska and Ralph Kirkpatrick, and they have also been rendered on the synthesiser by Wendy Carlos. It was Kirkpatrick who catalogued and numbered the sonatas chronologically (though the old L, or Longo, numbers are still occasionally used).