This Sonata in E minor was discovered in a manuscript at the Metropolitan Cathedral in the Spanish city of Valladolid. It must therefore be dated no earlier than 1729, the year Scarlatti relocated to Spain from Portugal. It is still a relatively early work, but far more sophisticated than his first forays in the sonata genre, written during his years in Italy, the homeland he departed in 1719. This Sonata in E minor is notable for the composer's subtle manipulation of rhythm, particularly how the forward thrust of cadences is deftly retarded.

The work opens with a lively theme that brims more with nervous energy than with joyous bounce or sun-filled vitality. The second subject is even more animated and because of the subtle sense of holding back near the ends of certain phrases, the music often conveys a feeling of catching its breath from the swift pacing. In the second half of the Sonata Scarlatti subtly develops the thematic material, adding many trills and imparting more of an aristocratic character and more than a smidgen of Spanish flavors. Like many of his keyboard works, this Sonata in E minor offers both technical and interpretive challenges to the performer during its three-and-a-half minute duration.

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