Explorations around bass parts and key schemes: recording the cantatas of Alessandro Scarlatti

The development of divided bass part scoring is a notable part of Scarlatti's orchestral treatment from the first decade of the eighteenth century. It is possible that this richness of detail in bass part scoring originated in a period of rapid evolution in bass instrument making and performance from non-notated practices of bass performance, such as that suggested in our performance of the Aria Pastorale and the final aria of Hor che di Febo ascosi. Through specific directions in Scarlatti's scores, we may guess at sound combinations not commonly heard in modern times, such as the three octave bass doubling indicated on the divided bass lines of some serenata scores. It is the play of subtle effects, difficult at times for even alert listeners to pinpoint but based on study of the key structure and textures of the work, that enables performers to project the world of chiaroscuro so eloquently described by Scarlatti