I had so much fun putting this Composer Kit together! The life of Domenico Scarlatti is fascinating - his encounters with royalty, his different stylistic periods, his infamous duel with George Frederick Handel in Rome…and his experiments at the keyboard offer much fodder for discussion and exploration in student compositions!
Scarlatti wrote 555 keyboard sonatas, although not in the sonata-allegro form that we are familiar with in the Classical era. His sonatas are often in two parts, and include techniques like imitation, counterpoint, fast repeated notes, and crossing hands. He also plays with Baroque dance form and fiery dance rhythms from Spain, definitely a “Renaissance man”!
Students will love engaging in a Tic-Tac-Toe duel of organs and harpsichords, creating copycat fugues in a fun group game at the piano, and trying their hand at composition in the style of Scarlatti.
The Scarlatti Kit, like all of the Composer Kits in my shop, contains a 1-page biography (one sheet at the intermediate level, and one for younger readers), two games suitable for playing student-teacher or in a group setting, a playlist with suggestions of what to listen for, and a composition activity (one for beginners and one for intermediates).
I use these kits in group lessons once a quarter, but the materials are also great for composer study within private lessons, in homeschool co-op music classes, or as an independent take-home activity.
Find the Scarlatti kit here!
For more Composer Kits and a free resource, check out this link!