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Francesco Mancini (1672-1737) was born in Naples, and worked initially as an organist at the Cappella Reale, an institution he would direct some years later until he was replaced by Alessandro Scarlatti in 1708. Mancini composed many concertos and sonatas, and the works on these CDs were first published in London in 1724. The music contained in these sonatas displays Mancini's gift for great expressivity and lyricism. The material is developed skillfully in ways that often lead to considerable tension and drama. The spirit of the dance is never far away from the finales and often contrast with the tense and dramatic opening movements and the long slow movements.