Scarlatti, Domenico : Sonata E-Dur K.381 L.225 3/8 Allegro

Composition Date: circa 1754

Context

This sonata is one of those composed for Queen Maria Barbara of Spain to perform. Although Scarlatti's autograph manuscripts of the sonatas have been completely lost, these sonatas survive in 15 volumes of manuscripts used by the Queen (commonly known as the Venice Manuscripts), with K.381 included in Volume 8 (completed in 1754). This sonata is considered a late work among Scarlatti's sonatas.

The majority of Scarlatti's sonatas were composed and intended to be performed in pairs. K.381 is believed to form a pair with K.380 (L.23).

Musical Analysis

From the very beginning of this piece, a brilliant impression is created by improvisatory and virtuosic E major arpeggios and scales. Furthermore, the span from the first note in the left hand of measure 1 to the first note of measure 2 covers four octaves, demonstrating the work's wide range from the outset and yielding a highly effective performance. The rapid passages with small note values, played alternately by the right and left hands, are well-suited for solo performance and will attractively showcase the performer's high technical skill to the audience. Works that display the performer's technique to the audience in this manner are generally considered to possess a high degree of virtuosity.

Moreover, the octave leaps within the simple eighth-note counter-melody are played repeatedly throughout the piece; however, it is advisable to play them with an awareness of a cadenza-like expansion rather than in a dry, uninspired manner. Measures 66 to 106 are generally structured by long phrases. Specifically, the right hand carries an emotional melody, while the left hand plays arpeggios with the fundamental bass notes progressing mostly stepwise, suggesting a sense of gradual advancement.

The descending third motif observed from measures 66 to 69 is commonly referred to as the "cuckoo motif." This motif is well-known in Western music and is a characteristic pattern also found in other works (e.g., Frescobaldi's Capriccio sopra il Cucho, Daquin's Premier Livre de Pièces de Clavecin, Troisième Suite, "Le Coucou", and Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major, Op. 79).