Sonata in D major K.492 (Scarlatti)

Movements

Notes

Scarlatti’s 555 keyboard sonatas are single movements, mostly in binary form, some in early sonata form, and mostly written for harpsichord or the earliest pianofortes. Some display harmonic audacity in their use of discords, and unconventional modulations to remote keys.

Born in Naples, Scarlatti spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families. Both of these cultures, Neapolitan and Iberian can be found in his works that didn’t refer to the folk and dance elements directly, but rather in an assimilated way, in which Scarlatti had developed his own style. Sonata K.492 is one of the exceptions, where a pure flamenco quote appears (the sonata is almost a pure bulería).

Performances