Scarlatti: The Complete Works, Volume VI

These ten suites (Longo 251-300) sit at the midpoint of Scarlatti's output, offering pieces with genuine pedagogical depth alongside showpiece material. Advanced pianists get exposure to Baroque keyboard idioms without the fugal density of Bach, while the harmonic progressions and formal innovations reward close study. The Kalmus Edition presents clean, readable texts ideal for serious students moving beyond standard repertoire.

Scarlatti's middle-period sonatas pulse with Spanish and Italian energy. Rhythmic ostinatos and rolled figures create propulsive momentum, while sudden harmonic swerves and wide intervallic leaps keep the listener alert. These pieces swing between virtuosic display and intimate exploration, often within the same movement.

Advanced pianists preparing repertoire for recital or competition, undergraduate and graduate students in keyboard studies, and teachers building a comprehensive Baroque curriculum beyond the Bach canon. These sonatas demand secure technique and mature musical judgment, making them ideal for serious music students rather than intermediate learners.

• Approach hand crossing as an architectural feature, not a technical hindrance. Let the cross create visual and sonic space; resist the urge to rush through the overlap.
• Pay attention to Scarlatti's sparse dynamic and articulation markings. Where he writes them, they signal essential interpretive choices. Elsewhere, let the harmonic rhythm and textural density guide your shaping.
• Test multiple fingering solutions before settling on one. Scarlatti's keyboard span and the modern piano's reach create options that historical sources did not have; find the fingering that serves your hand size and musical intention.
• Notice where the harmonic language shifts into unexpected tonal areas. These moments often benefit from slight temporal flexibility to let the ear adjust.

Feature individual sonatas in student recitals to showcase advanced technique and musicianship without committing to a full suite. Pair one or two with later Baroque works (Couperin, Rameau) to illustrate the breadth of keyboard writing before the Classical sonata. Use them as teaching repertoire to develop harmonic literacy and keyboard independence.

• hand crossing and hand independence at the keyboard
• executing rapid passagework in extreme registers
• reading and interpreting sparse baroque articulation markings
• understanding harmonic function across tonal shifts and unexpected cadences
• finger independence and selective legato in rapid scalar passages
• rhythmic precision in repeated-note figures and ostinatos