Francesco Scarlatti

Who was Francesco Scarlatti?

Francesco Scarlatti was an Italian Baroque composer and musician and brother of the better known Alessandro Scarlatti.

Francesco was ever to live under the shadow of his better known relatives, Alessandro Scarlatti and his nephew, Domenico. However, Francesco himself was an accomplished musician and held a number of appointments.

He was born on 5 December 1666 at Palermo, Sicily. Due to the island being under the control of the Kingdom of Naples, Francesco went up to study at the well-known Conservatorio in the city. His first appointment, following his studies, was as a violinist at the Chapel Royal in Naples. His appointment was controversial: a number of Neapolitan musicians resented the young provincial's influence at court.

In 1690, he married Rosalinda Albano. She died in 1706 after giving Scarlatti five children.

Francesco later travelled around Europe. He visited London in 1719; some sources suggest that this was on the invitation of his friend Handel, whom he had met some years before in Italy. Hardly anything is known of his time in London. It is thought that he probably worked in theatre orchestras. Scarlatti was recommended to James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos by John Arbuthnot. Chandos, a patron of Handel, maintained a musical establishment at his main house, Cannons in Middlesex, but Scarlatti appears not to have joined it.