Preserved in the 1757 Parma manuscripts, containing 463 of Scarlatti's 555 keyboard sonatas, this B flat major effort is less rapidly paced, less driven than many, perhaps most of the earlier sonatas. Its less aggressive Allegretto marking was rarely chosen by the composer until his final years. Beginning with the Sonata in G major, K. 538, he used it eight times, more than double than in the previous 500-plus sonatas. While he was certainly mellowing in his less energetic proclivities, he was not exhibiting a pessimistic or dark character in his works. Indeed, as this Sonata in B flat major amply demonstrates, the elder Scarlatti was chipper and optimistic, quite youthful in spirit.

The work opens with a lively theme whose elegance and courtly charm mix well with its sense of simplicity and innocence. The second subject takes on meatier textures and a generally more muscular manner before returning to the playful, slighter character of the opening. The development section, occupying the latter half of the work, employs various polyphonic characteristics, including imitation, and initially exhibits a slightly less jovial mood, but the music soon returns to the playful, brighter character of the exposition. This four-and-a-half minute work is one of the more charming late sonatas.

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