Allesandro Scarlatti's Il Mitridate Eupatore.
Although more commonly known for his chamber cantatas, Alessandro Scarlatti's works span over several different styles, including church music, motets, masses, serenades and operas. Of the many operas he wrote, few have been held in such high regard as his opera, titled Il Mitridate Eupatore. At the time of its release, Eupatore was deemed as a failure, although it has grown in popularity since Scarlatti's time. Some possible reasons for the opera's failure, along with a biography on Scarlatti, a summary of the opera itself and its orchestration, will unfold within the coming paragraphs. .
In order to have a better understanding of Alessandro Scarlatti, it is imperative to have an outline of his life. Born May 2nd, 1660 in Palermo, Scarlatti was exposed to music at an early age. At the age of 12, he was sent to Rome, and in 1678, 6 years following his move to Rome, he was married. The same year, he was appointed maestro di cappella of S Giamoco degli Incurabli. By this point in his life, he had already composed two operas, one of which has no title, the other named Gli equivoci nel sembiante. As word spread around about Scarlatti's popularity, the public eye began to see him as an accomplished composer. He became so popular that he attracted the attention of Queen Christina, who wasted no time in appointing him as her personal maestro di cappella. Following his time spent working for Queen Christina, Scarlatti became the maestro di cappella for the vice-regal court of Naples. For the next two decades, over half of the operas heard at Naples were by Scarlatti. Of the many operas he composed during his time spent in Naples, two became notable: Il Pirro et Demetrio and La Caduta dei Decemviri. During said time, the War of Spanish Succession broke out in 1700. The fallout of this war caused the Neapolitan nobility to be undermined, which left his job as maestro di cappella in an erratic state.