The Complete Works, Volume IX (In Eleven Volumes and Thematic Index): Piano Book

Scarlatti's sonatas sit at the sweet spot between Baroque discipline and pre-Classical spontaneity, making them invaluable for pianists transitioning between repertoire periods. This volume gives you ten complete suites in the Kalmus tradition: legible, reliable, and economical for serious study. The varied textures, surprising modulations, and brilliant passage work within each suite keep both student and teacher engaged across an entire practice season.

Scarlatti's music sparkles with wit and urgency. These pieces are playful without being lightweight, ornamental without losing directness. You'll encounter moments of genuine drama nestled between passages of brilliant fingerwork, and harmonic turns that feel both surprising and inevitable.

Advanced pianists working toward mastery of Baroque keyboard writing, as well as teachers building a comprehensive study of pre-Classical sonata idiom. This collection serves serious students ages 14 and up who are comfortable with hand independence and can sustain focus across multi-movement works.

• Approach hand-crossing passages as choreography rather than obstacles. Plan your physical setup before building speed, and practice the movement pattern slowly until it becomes comfortable.
• Shape the repeated figures through subtle dynamic shifts and articulation choices. Scarlatti repeats material intentionally; your job is to make each repetition feel necessary.
• Balance ornamental passage work against the harmonic structure underneath. Clarity matters more than virtuosity; the listener should hear the harmonic logic even when notes cascade.
• Explore the recording with an ear toward tempo relationships between movements. These suites were conceived as paired or grouped units, not isolated pieces.

Feature individual sonatas as recital openers or fillers; their compact, self-contained design works well alongside Romantic or Contemporary repertoire without feeling stylistically out of place. Use this volume as a semester-long study project for advanced students, working through one or two suites at a time to develop breadth of interpretation.

• Hand independence and coordination, particularly in crossing patterns
• Terraced dynamics and articulation as tools for shape in ornamental passages
• Harmonic analysis across unexpected modulations and Baroque cadence structures
• Baroque ornamentation and its relationship to structural emphasis
• Balance between technical fluency and musical intention