Froxfield Choir

Domenico Scarlatti: Missa Quator Vocum

Scarlatti is celebrated for his harpsichord sonatas and is seldom considered a composer of sacred works, few of which have survived. However, three masses are attributed to him: an unpublished Mass in D Major for small orchestra, two four-voice choirs and organ continuo; a Mass in A Minor for four voices and basso continuo, later named La Stella; and, best known, this mass in G Minor for four voices a capella, known as the Missa brevis Quatuor Vocum or Messa di Madrid.

The mass is a peculiar piece, superficially written in a style that had gone out of fashion a hundred years previously yet with a contemporary, even advanced, expression that shows how Scarlatti can be considered an important forerunner of the classical style. This edition is by Claudio Macchi and the choir will be omitting the Credo.