What period did Domenico Scarlatti belong to?

Answer 1

Interesting question. He was born the same year as J.S. Bach and Handel and all three died within a few years of each other, which scores one point for Baroque. He is primarily known as a keyboard composer, and since he wrote for the harpsichord, not the piano, score another for Baroque. (Though his music can be played effectively on the piano.)

On the other hand, many of his 555 keyboard sonatas are written in a style that anticipates elements of the Classical era: the influence of folk melody, a less complex harmonic structure, and often a general sense of clarity, grace, and restraint--so score one for Classical. Also, he often wrote movements in a two part form that recapitulates the closing section of the first part at the end of the second part, but in the tonic key. This is often seen as an intermediate step in the growth of the "sonata form" out of the simple binary form, and the sonata form is one of the hallmarks of Classical era instrumental music, so one more big score for Classical.

So in the end, he's a little of both; he is as "Classical" to me as some of Bach's sons. Definitely he was quite forward-thinking in his sonatas. Of course, when you write that many, you would expect some evolution!