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'''Alessandro Scarlatti''' (1660-1725) was born in [[Palermo]], [[Sicily]]. He taken to study in [[Rome]] as a teenager and, whilst he was for a time under the patronage of Queen Christina of [[Sweden]], most of his career was spent in either Rome or [[Naples]], often being driven from pillar to post by his need for patronage and the fluctuating political situation as [[Spain]] and [[Austria]] disputed control of parts of Italy.  

'''Alessandro Scarlatti''' (1660-1725) was born in [[Palermo]], [[Sicily]]. He was taken to study in [[Rome]] as a teenager and, whilst he was for a time under the patronage of Queen Christina of [[Sweden]], most of his career was spent in either Rome or [[Naples]], often being driven from pillar to post by his need for patronage and the fluctuating political situation as [[Spain]] and [[Austria]] disputed control of parts of Italy.  

He is known mainly as a composer of [[opera]]s although there exist some excellent [[cantata]]s he wrote during  a period as ''maestro di capella'' for a cardinal, and an amount of secular instrumental music. He wrote over 100 operas,  many of which he was forced to produce in [[Florence]] or [[Venice]] because of the political turbulence. He is recognised as being in the forefront of developing Italian opera into the form it would enjoy until the reforms of [[Niccolo Piccinni]] late in the 18th century.

He is known mainly as a composer of [[opera]]s although there exist some excellent [[cantata]]s he wrote during  a period as ''maestro di capella'' for a cardinal, and an amount of secular instrumental music. He wrote over 100 operas,  many of which he was forced to produce in [[Florence]] or [[Venice]] because of the political turbulence. He is recognised as being in the forefront of developing Italian opera into the form it would enjoy until the reforms of [[Niccolo Piccinni]] late in the 18th century.