18TH CENTURY | history-of-music

18th Century. History of Music.

The Classical Period of Music.

Best Classical Music from the 18th Century.

A significant development in the last two decades of the 17th century is the growth of interest in the overtures of operas. Here the composer can display his talents in purely orchestral form, without needing to pander to the showy demands of singers. One of the most prolific composers of opera, Alessandro Scarlatti (the father of Domenico Scarlatti, and the author of as many as 115 operas between 1679 and 1723), becomes particularly associated with the instrumental form known as the 'Italian overture'.