I'm sure Maria Barbara was an excellent harpsichordist for having an excellent teacher like Scarlatti! Forgive me for too many questions but I would really appreciate some advice from a professional musician like you and my question is how do you know the time for an 17th century piece (Bach, Scarlatti, Soler, Seixas, Telemman, and many others...)? Do you use Tempo Ordinario and Tempo Giusto for that as a reference?
You mean 18th century right? 🙃 Tempo can be based upon many factors, some of which are stylistic and contextual. Baroque tempo indications were more general than today. If Scarlatti indicates ‘Presto’ (trans. ‘Fast’) it precludes a slow or moderate tempo.
@@davidlouie Yes haha, 18th century! Sorry for the mistake. And thanks for this answer, it helps me to find my own tempo in Scarlatti and other baroque composers.
It’s very difficult, but beyond that I wouldn’t care to categorize. Difficulty is relative and subjective to the individual, and it’s a given that all great composers write difficult music most of the time. If they aren’t challenging their own abilities, what exactly is the point?
