The dazzling Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti was born on this day, October 26, 1685 in Naples, Italy. Like his renowned father Alessandro Scarlatti, he composed in a variety of musical forms, although today he is known primarily for his 555 keyboard sonatas. Each sonata was similar to a gem, polished to brilliance, a firework of musical delight, and a master of the unexpected. Scarlatti was born in the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel—three giants of the Baroque era, each with a remarkably different musical personality. Scarlatti’s music combines technical brilliance with surprise, humor, elegance, and a distinctly Iberian flair and flavour. "Show yourself more human than critical, and then your pleasure will increase."