At the request of Ricky Contry
Sonata in A Major K 322 by Domenico Scarlatti
Scarlatti Sonatas - • Domenico Scarlatti - S...
Easy Piano Pieces - • Easy Piano Pieces
This Sonata in A major was written in the final years of Scarlatti's life, along with many others of the 555 in his keyboard output. It is a joyous work, but its optimism is tempered with a maturity, as if the elderly composer wanted to refrain from youthful merriment and any hint of excess at celebration or festivity. Marked Allegro, the work has a more leisurely pacing than that tempo would normally suggest. Moreover, just when its jaunty dance-like manner and Spanish character seem about to turn more colorful, if not more animated, its elegance seizes the reins and the courtly side of its demeanor steps forth, but without quite jettisoning its good-natured character.
The work opens with a cheerful, unhurried theme in two-part, very transparent writing. After the expository material is given twice, Scarlatti launches into the development section, which, as was typical in his sonatas' structural schemes, makes up the second half of the work. The mood here is a bit less bright, with the playful elements at times seeming headed toward more serious matter. Scarlatti makes relatively few technical demands on the soloist in this pleasant, three-and-a-half minute Sonata, but interpretively he offers quite substantial challenges.
Description by Robert Cummings
10 сен 2024
