Scarlatti: Sixty Sonatas, Volume I

These sonatas occupy a unique pedagogical sweet spot: they demand real musical maturity and technique while remaining shorter and more approachable than the full Classical sonata cycle. Pianists encounter genuine compositional sophistication without the commitment of a 20-minute work, and the individual pieces naturally lend themselves to recital programming, competitions, and student concerto showcases.

Scarlatti's sonatas sparkle with harmonic surprise and keyboard brilliance; there's an almost improvisatory character beneath their formal structure, as though the composer is discovering new harmonic territory in real time. The music sits comfortably under the hands yet constantly challenges expectations, balancing lyrical passages with driving rhythmic energy and moments of genuine tenderness.

Intermediate to advanced pianists seeking substantial yet manageable Baroque repertoire, as well as teachers building a balanced recital program that avoids the Romantic-heavy standard rep. Students preparing for competitions, auditions, and degree requirements benefit from the breadth and variety of musical ideas across these 30 sonatas.

• Treat hand crossings as integral to the musical character rather than technical obstacles; Scarlatti expects these to sound fluid and occasionally playful, not labored.
• Baroque ornamentation requires clarity and precision in the execution of trills and turns; check the original notation carefully, as later editions sometimes modernize Scarlatti's intentions.
• Balance the textural layers with a lighter touch in accompanying figures so the melodic line remains singing and prominent.
• Resist pushing the harmonic surprises and chromatic passages into rubato; Scarlatti's wit relies on rhythmic directness and clarity of harmony.

A single Scarlatti sonata serves well as a concise statement of Baroque keyboard style on a recital, positioned either early in the program as an opener or alongside other shorter character pieces from the same era. This volume also supports a historically informed semester study of Baroque keyboard music or a themed concert exploring the evolution from harpsichord to modern piano.

• Hand crossing technique and independence between left and right hands
• Ornamentation execution (trills, turns, mordents) in Baroque style
• Harmonic analysis of unexpected chromatic movement and key relationships
• Baroque phrasing and articulation conventions
• Rapid scalar and arpeggio passage work with rhythmic clarity
• Understanding of Baroque keyboard idiom and its transition to Classical writing