While Johannes Brahms had a deep respect and love for the keyboard sonatas of Scarlatti, Robert Schumann found little in them to his taste. Today, the works are universally acknowledged for their craftsmanship and mastery. This F sharp minor work is among the first group of 30 (out of an eventual 555!) published in 1738 under the title of Essercizi per gravicembalo. Marked Allegro, it is among the more serious of Scarlatti's early efforts, with a thematic and rhythmic sophistication and sense of development to rank with those of many of the later sonatas. The work opens with one of those Scarlatti melodic creations that seem to evolve and accrue greater character as it proceeds. Certain motifs emerge and repeat throughout the expository and developmental sections, imparting greater rhythmic spirit and color to the music. One rather anxious three-note motif in particular occurs throughout the piece, givign way to a mostly descending, almost Bachian scale-like passage whose glorious resolve seems to banish all unsettling matters, only to return, somewhat obsessively. This compelling sonata typically has a duration of just under four minutes.

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