Piano Sonata III “Le campanelle di Scarlatti”

Domenico Scarlatti the son of Alessandro Scarlatti was born in 1685 the same year as Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Frederic Handel in Naples and died in Madrid in 1757. He was famously known for his keyboard prowess as a harpsichordist and composer for that instrument with his 555 sonatas. In one story Scarlatti and Handel had a contest and while Scarlatti won the harpsichord competition, Handel won the organ competition. Scarlatti bridged the Baroque period and ushered in the classical period style and served as the court composer for the royal family of Spain. Most of his sonatas are single movements in binary form (A-B-A).

The present composition was developed from a sketch of 2011 and follows the binary form A-B-A of primary melody, secondary melody and recapitulation of primary melody. The first section consists of a repeated 2 bar motif accompanied by an alternating pedal note on A in the bass and upper soprano register with a characteristic “bell-like” motif. This simple melody is gradually embellished with contrapuntal phrases and sustained pedal notes. The second theme, unlike traditional Sonata Allegro A-B-A which is based on the dominant, is stated in the parallel key of D Major with a florid eighth note accompaniment in the bass. The primary melody concludes the piece in a complete recapitulation. In a paean to Scarlatti the piece is a single movement Sonata form. The subtitle “Le campanelle di Scarlatti” reflects this paean and the characteristic bell-like motif.

The composition was developed (initially from the sketch of 2011) from 11 January 2019 through 23 August 2019.