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The short answer
Keyboard Sonata in D minor, K. 138 / L. 464 is a sonata by Domenico Scarlatti from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 6, an estimate.
- sonata
- Baroque
- dancing
Also known as Domenico Scarlatti - Sonata K. 138.
History
Scarlatti's K. 138 is a single-movement D-minor keyboard sonata marked Allegro. Its other catalogue labels are L. 464 and P. 95. Historical copies of the same sonata survive in more than one manuscript collection, a reminder that a modern score is one route into older music rather than the composer's dated final page.
Sources
What to listen for
The opening contour descends across registers
Follow the opening shape through its lower responses rather than hearing each register as a fresh phrase.
Alternating contours renew the dialogue
Recurring responses alternate before the first close. Hear their relationship across the changing gestures.
Broken figures return in changed colours
Related broken figures appear in different pitch groups. Recognise the contour within the second span.
Upper contours gather toward the final repeat
The recurring upper figures expand toward the last repeat boundary. Hear the ending route through their familiar motion.
How to practise it
Keep the running upper line independent of the longer inner pairs.
- Include the initial rest.
- Keep neighbouring notes even.
- Preserve the inner durations.
How hard is it
Compact keyboard textures require clear articulation, coordinated phrasing and a stable underlying pulse.
About this piece
- Collection
- Sonata journeys
- Licence
- CC0
- Source
- musescore.com
More by Domenico Scarlatti
- Keyboard Sonata in D minor, K. 32 / L. 423 (Aria)Level 3, estimatedWith Maestro
- Keyboard Sonata in B minor, K. 87Level 6, estimatedWith Maestro
- Sonata in B minor, K. 27Level 7, estimatedWith Maestro
