Scarlatti's sonatas often evoke specific images and feelings in listeners. This Sonata in A major in particular has aroused much commentary about the imagery it may suggest. Some hear in its notes a ride through the countryside, others a jaunty excursion about town. In any event, the effervescent music here seems busily moving, cheerfully traveling somewhere. Marked Allegro assai, the sonata opens with an ascending figure, which is followed by a lively theme whose many delicate trills and rhythmic drive impart a kinetic gracefulness to the colorful sonic fabric. The music never slows down throughout the exposition or through Scarlatti's deftly wrought development of his themes. In the latter half, the music takes on a slightly less dainty manner, much of the writing moving from the upper to the middle register. This work typically lasts around three-and-a-half to four minutes.

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