Description
K.491 in D major is a Scarlatti keyboard sonata notable for its brilliant passagework and Spanish-flavored rhythms, with hand-crossing figures and rapid scales appearing throughout to create a bright, energetic character. Packed into about two and a half minutes are roughly 1,341 notes, and that density itself drives the music forward. Intermediate in scale, it still calls for finger rotation and evenness in its more demanding passages, showcasing the refined keyboard writing of a composer who spent much of his career at the Spanish court.
Selected sonatas from Scarlatti's output of 555, known for innovative keyboard technique and original musical ideas.
Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Domenico Scarlatti was born in Naples and spent the latter part of his life at the Spanish and Portuguese courts. Born in the same year as Bach and Handel, he is renowned for his 555 single-movement keyboard sonatas, notable for their bold leaps and incorporation of Spanish dance idioms. This site includes 47 of his works, including Sonatas K.455 and K.491.
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