Work
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Sonata in Eb, K.193, L.142Key: Eb
Year: 1756-57
Genre: Sonata
Pr. Instrument: Harpsichord
Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas often exhibit Spanish folk and other musical styles associated with cultures from the Iberian Peninsula. This Sonata in E flat major must be counted in that fairly sizable group, not so much because of the graceful and even delicate character of its thematic material, but because of certain clever instrumental effects, most particularly the arched swirling figures that color the music with a dreamy, ethereal sense, conjuring the sonic world of a guitar. When Scarlatti employed folk or other Spanish styles in his works, he did so with a deft sense for atmosphere, as this E flat major sonata evidences. Marked Allegro, the work opens with a five-note motif in the upper register that is echoed in the middle of the keyboard. This group of notes soon appears in various guises, informing all the material comprising the main and subordinate themes. In the latter half of the work, when Scarlatti develops his material, the character of the sonata darkens a bit, but the Spanish elements remain, keeping the overall mood is bright. This work typically has a duration of just under three minutes.
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