Baroque composer; father of the composers Domenico Scarlatti and Pietro Filippo Scarlatti. Born on May 2, 1660 in Sicily; died on October 24, 1725 in Naples. He created the 18th century classical style in music, influencing, outside of Italy, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. He was concerned chiefly with concerted instrumental music and he is a brilliant exponent of classical lyric drama. In addition to some 60 operas, his chamber music, of which over 500 cantatas, 10 masses, besides motets and oratorios, are extant, is of a high intellectual order. A member of the Arcadian Academy, he held also positions of choir master at Naples and Rome and as a teacher produced many celebrated musicians.