Sonata in D major K. 160 (L. 15)

Domenico Scarlatti · Level 5 (Advanced) · Baroque · Piano

A dazzling Allegro sonata in 4/4 in D major, with broken arpeggios and fast scales across the whole keyboard. One of the 555 one-movement sonatas Scarlatti wrote for the harpsichord, usually in two repeated halves, brilliant and full of Iberian colour. D major, 4/4, 68 bars (about 2 minutes), complete score.

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• Practise the broken arpeggios hands separately with a loose wrist before putting them together. Light, precise touch, loose wrists in the repeated notes and hand crossings. One hand sometimes plays two voices: hold the long notes for their full value and let the main line sing louder than the accompaniment. For chords, shape the hand in the air before landing, all notes together.

More pieces by Domenico Scarlatti

• Sonata in C major
• Sonata in C minor K. 11
• Sonata in D major K. 491
• Sonata in G major K. 455
• Sonata in F♯ minor K. 25 (L. 481)
• Sonata in G major K. 75 (L. 53)
• Sonata in A major K. 220 (L. 342)
• Sonata in F minor K. 238 (L. 27)

Source : Knute Snortum (gravure LilyPond, GitHub, d’après l’édition Longo) · CC BY-SA 4.0