ABSTRACT
This chapter examines a series of pieces composed for occasions and patrons other than the institutions and individual dignitaries Scarlatti had a lasting relationship with. This repertoire confirms Scarlatti’s stylistic “bilingualism.” It includes both pieces in an archaic style, such as the solemn and severe Tu es Petrus, and strongly concertante items, such as the Te Deum, one of the least known but most interesting scores of all Scarlatti’s sacred output, in terms of its stylistic and expressive variety. These two scores best represent his ability to shape his language according to his work context. In Tu es Petrus the composer was conditioned by stylistic codes linked to the tradition of counterpoint in strict style. On the other hand, the Te Deum is enriched by a sumptuous instrumental texture and a language that already looks to the galant style. This choice probably has to do with the text’s festive character and the fact that a Te Deum was performed on a wide variety of occasions and was thus not linked to a particular liturgical situation, as was the Tu es Petrus.
