The Complete Works, Volume III: Piano Book

These ten suites represent some of Scarlatti's most inventive and dramatically engaging writing. Volume III showcases the depth of his catalogue while offering pianists a collection substantial enough to anchor a recital program or support serious study of late Baroque keyboard technique and compositional craft.

Scarlatti's suites contain a restless energy and harmonic imagination that surprised many of his contemporaries. You encounter sudden key shifts, vivid dramatic contrasts, and brilliant keyboard figurations that feel almost modern in their daring, all anchored by the clarity and precision of Baroque musical logic.

Intermediate to advanced pianists ready to engage seriously with Baroque keyboard writing and students preparing for conservatory study or competitive performance. Teachers seeking comprehensive Scarlatti repertoire will find this volume essential for developing technical command and musical independence in their upper-level students.

• Attend carefully to hand crossing and independence; Scarlatti often requires rapid passage work in both hands simultaneously, demanding secure finger independence and clear articulation.
• Shape phrases with harpsichord sensibility rather than Romantic rubato; rhythmic drive and structural clarity serve the music better than expressive lingering.
• Recognize that ornamentation is integral to the musical argument, not decoration; study period practice to determine how fully to realize written trills, turns, and mordents.
• Balance brilliance with architecture; the figurations should illuminate harmonic progressions and formal design, not obscure them.

Program these suites as anchors for a Baroque or keyboard-focused recital, or select individual pieces from the collection to pair with later Classical sonatas in a program exploring keyboard repertoire across two centuries. They work equally well in a recital devoted entirely to Scarlatti, allowing audiences to hear the breadth of his invention across ten suites.

• Hand independence and rapid passage work in both hands simultaneously
• Baroque ornamentation and stylistically informed interpretation
• Harmonic analysis of unexpected key relationships and chromatic voice leading
• Rhythmic clarity and structural articulation without Romantic rubato
• Technical facility in varied keyboard figurations (scales, arpeggios, hand crossing)
• Understanding of harpsichord idiom and its influence on early piano repertoire