Notes and index to Scarlatti sonatas 1-555

The Sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti on MIDI
Played by John Sankey, bf250@freenet.carleton.ca

Welcome to the wonderful sounds of Domenico Scarlatti! Here you 
will find over 500 short pieces for harpsichord, with 
evocations of the bells, shawms, flamenco guitars and drums of 
18th century Spain. To me, it is a feast of sounds. I hope you 
agree.

Domenico Scarlatti was born in Italy in 1685, the same year as 
Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Frideric Handel. He moved to 
Portugal in 1719 to become music master to the young Princess 
Maria Barbara; when she became Queen of Spain in 1729, he 
followed her there. Respected as an extemporizer on the 
harpsichord, and for his dazzling technique, he did not begin 
to formally write his keyboard music down until 1738, when he 
was knighted by Portugal and composed a volume for 
presentation. A few years later, he collected a number of his 
older pieces into two more volumes. But then, ill health and 
gambling debts galvanised him into finding his voice. During 
his last 6 years 1752-7, he transferred his keyboard skill to 
paper in the form of some two hundred suites which he called 
sonatas. They combine pure joyous harpsichord sounds with the 
taut rhythms of Spanish dance and the harmonic brilliance of 
his Italian heritage to a degree that places him among the 
greatest musicians of all time.

For a performer, there is always a conflict between saying as 
much as one can with each individual piece, and being faithful 
to the lifetime-built philosophy of the composer. Intellect 
produces complexity, but feeling demands simplicity. Most 
performers faced with the range and quantity of Scarlatti's 
music quickly choose a few pieces, display his at-times 
breathtaking technique, and interpret him as a capricious 
mannerist. This tendency is exacerbated by the characteristics 
of the piano, to which Scarlatti's sounds do not transfer 
well. Here, I attempt  the opposite - to present the overall 
stylistic development and cumulative achievement of a great 
musical colourist, on the instrument which was his canvas.

MIDI is a system of recording the finger motions of a keyboard 
player, rather than recording the sound produced by the 
player's instrument. As a serious classical-music recording 
medium, it is as avantgarde today as Scarlatti's music was in 
it's day. Just as Scarlatti's keyboard technique was far 
beyond that of most of his contemporaries, so recordings such 
as these are beyond current MIDI practise. In particular, 
there is not yet a standard way of prescribing sound fonts to 
the required precision. Few MIDI instruments implement key 
release velocity (string damping), and none of which I am 
aware take account of the effect that one string's sound has 
on other harmonically-related undamped strings. But, pushing 
the limit of things is what artists have always done. So be 
it. Finger motions are pure information, the stuff of the 
modern age.

My recording follows the numbering of Kirkpatrick, whose study 
of Scarlatti is the base from which a modern player must build 
("Domenico Scarlatti", Ralph Kirkpatrick, Princeton, 1953). To 
start, there are the 30 "exercises", as Scarlatti called them, 
of 1738. Sonatas 31-93 were presented to the Queen in 1742, 
and 94-147 in 1749. Both of these volumes contain some works 
for organ, and some for violin and continuo, all of which I 
omit from this recording. Some almost certainly predate 1738. 
Then, with number 148, we begin the Sonatas proper, the pieces 
that were presented to the Queen as they were composed, 
between 1752 and 1757. The Queen's copy of the music, in the 
original 16 volume binding, is preserved in the Biblioteca 
Marciana in Venice, Italy. Sixty of the sonatas were published 
by Schirmer for harpsichord in 1953, edited by Kirkpatrick. 
545 were transcribed for piano by Alessandro Longo in 1906, 
and are still available from Ricordi (Italy) and Kalmus (USA).

It was normal in Scarlatti's time to mark off thematic sections 
of music with repeat signs. The commonest interpretation of 
this marking at that time was to repeat the section with 
ad-lib variations by the performer, who was expected to be as 
able a musician as the composer. Another interpretation, 
however, was that each marked section could be treated as a 
unit to be interspersed with other sections at performance, as 
in the French rondeau form. Scarlatti, I feel, often meant the 
latter interpretation. His carefully crafted sounds admit of 
little casual variation, but almost all of his writing 
displays hierarchical pair patterns - pairs of sounds paired 
in turn with other pairs, which in turn can be paired with 
other pair sets. Since this recording is an exploration of 
sounds, I have omitted repeats except where I feel they are 
rhythmically necessary. In my view, listeners can best 
recreate the aural ambience of an actual Scarlatti performance 
by selecting and repeating sonata pairs of their choice to 
form groups lasting four or eight times the length of 
individual sonatas as recorded.

Harpsichord actions have a tiny inertia compared to that of 
modern pianos - a well-voiced harpsichord can be played much 
faster. Scarlatti obviously enjoyed having the fastest fingers 
in the west, and explicitly noted some passages even faster 
than I can play them. Nevertheless, modern players unfamiliar 
with old instruments and old performance surroundings often 
play harpsichord music much faster than it would have been 
played at the time. Although harpsichords have no sustaining 
pedal, playing any note on good Italian instruments, such as 
Scarlatti played on, re-excites into sound all other undamped 
strings, thus sustaining a tonality for as long as one has 
fingers available to hold down the relevant keys. The Spanish 
royal quarters were veritable echo chambers compared to 
today's concert halls. Scarlatti did not mark precise tempos, 
but just noted a word or two concerning the way the piece was 
to feel. These recordings are an attempt to produce on modern 
wavetable cards sounds of the musical character of which 
Scarlatti was a master - those of a powerful Italian 
instrument in rooms typical of the Spanish court.

When making a recording, which will be listened to (hopefully) 
many times, it is necessary today to edit a recording to 
remove barriers to communication; all recording musicians do. 
I have, however, strictly restricted the techniques I use to 
those that were available to Scarlatti on his instruments. 
Many of Scarlatti's early works were centered upon the visual 
drama of his technique, particularly of keyboard-length leaps 
and mind-boggling hand crossings, which must be absent from a 
recording. Nevertheless, this recording still displays, I 
hope, some of his brilliance. First, there is the consistency 
of Spanish dance rhythms as the foundation of his sound. To 
me, these rhythms are not polyphonic, but elaborated 
percussive solo accents, and as such are entirely consistent 
with the precision striven for by most recording musicians of 
today. And, when Scarlatti's phrases are repeated with no 
variations, as he mostly explicitly wrote them, they build 
structure and power into the sound upon a sustained rhythmic 
foundation, rather than on a phrase-oriented vocal one. I have 
therefore eschewed melodic inflections and rubato for the most 
part (perhaps to a degree that overcompensates for the 
tendency of most performers to take the opposite approach).

The rarity with which Scarlatti notes pauses or breaks between 
superficially-disjoint phrases becomes justified when his work 
is studied overall - the silences he marks explicitly become 
more effective, and the phrases take their place as his 
development of melodic sequences, using sounds rather than 
just notes. The harmonies of these sequences are based on 
tonalities, and multiply in the manner of Italian toccatas 
(as, in fact, Scarlatti labelled some of his early pieces), 
while the melodic lines proper continually expand into 
multiple voices that blend into harmony. In the Italian style 
of his training, it is pure sounds, free of extra-musical 
allegories.

Italian harpsichords such as Scarlatti used had a much more 
robust sound than those used as the model for most MIDI 
harpsichord voices, so you may wish to experiment to find the 
setting on your synthesizer that suits you best. On most 
modern wavetable cards, the clavichord patch is closest in 
sound to the sort of instruments Scarlatti played on, and that 
is what is set in these recordings. On FM-synthesis cards, the 
steel-string guitar setting with reverberation on is closer to 
the sustaining character of Scarlatti's playing.

A twelve-note scale can not have all intervals in tune at the 
same time. MIDI systems default to equal tempering, where only 
octaves are really in tune. This tuning was not musically 
acceptable to keyboard musicians of Scarlatti's time, who 
restricted the keys they played in so that more of the 
musically-important intervals could be in tune. They also 
valued the variety of characters that differing keys have when 
all intervals are not equal. I used a technique of consonance 
analysis (W.A.Sethares, Journal of the Acoustical Society of 
America 96:10, 1994) to aid me in finding the systems of 
tuning that Scarlatti probably used most commonly, since no 
records of it survive other than the music itself. These 
recordings use the best tuning I have found, one published by 
d'Alembert in 1752 and refined for these sonatas by the 
consonance technique.

Anyone may copy, play, and adapt these files for their personal 
enjoyment as long as no charge is made for copies or access. 
Scarlatti did not claim copyright on any of this music and it 
was widely copied during his lifetime. These files are a 
record of my performance and are not mechanically derived from 
any source. They were created and edited using a Kawai MIDI 
keyboard, Cubase Compact for Windows, and a Soundblaster 
AWE32. 

The following table relates the chronological Kirkpatrick 
numbers to the arbitrary Longo ones. Unrecorded sonatas are 
noted with a letter following the K#: o for organ, v for 
violin & continuo, x not published.

Kirkpatrick #
      Longo #
            time
1     366   1:15
2     388   1:23
3     378   1:35
4     390   1:43
5     367   1:46
6     479   1:35
7     379   2:32
8o    488 
9     413   1:47
10    370   1:20
11    352   1:19
12    489   2: 0
13    486   2:14
14    387   1:43
15    374   1:46
16    397   3:30
17    384   2: 0
18    416   2: 7
19    383   2: 7
20    375   1:51
21    363   2:50
22    360   1:39
23    411   3: 0
24    495   2:43
25    481   1:54
26    368   2:25
27    449   1:47
28    373   1:56
29    461   3: 1
30o   499 
31    231   2:12
32    423   0:40
33    424   1:59
34    s7    0:44
35    386   1:28
36    245   1:27
37    406   2: 2
38    478   1:14
39    391   1:51
40    357   0:49
41x       
42    s36   0:43
43    40    1:35
44    432   2:29
45    265   1:43
46    25    2:49
47    46    2:35
48    157   1:56
49    301   2:43
50    440   2:21
51    20    1:55
52o   267 
53    261   1:45
54    241   2:41
55    335   1:50
56    356   2:27
57    s38   2:41
58o   158 
59    71    1: 7
60    13    1:24
61    136   3:12
62    45    1:37
63    84    1:10
64    58    0:56
65    195   1: 6
66    496   1:26
67    32    1: 2
68    114   1:54
69o   382 
70    50    1:14
71    81    1: 5
72    401   1:22
73v   217 
74    94    0:48
75    53    0:54
76    185   1:12
77v   168 
78v   75  
79    80    1:27
80v       
81v   271 
82    30    2:45
83    s31   1:33
84    10    2: 6
85    166   1:52
86o   403 
87o   33  
88v   36  
89v   211 
90v   106 
91v   176 
92o   362 
93o   336 
94          0:48
95    358   0:51
96    465   3: 6
97x       
98    325   1:37
99    317   2: 8
100   355   1:36
101   494   2: 8
102   89    1:35
103   233   1:52
104   442   3: 6
105   204   2:53
106   437   1:31
107   474   2:22
108   249   1:45
109   138   3: 1
110   469   1:57
111   130   1:47
112   298   1:41
113   345   2:18
114   344   2:44
115   407   3:50
116   452   2: 2
117   244   3: 1
118   122   2: 3
119   415   3: 4
120   215   2:54
121   181   2:34
122   334   2:24
123   111   2:25
124   232   2:18
125   487   1:26
126   402   2:20
127   186   2:37
128   296   2:35
129   460   2:10
130   190   1:29
131   300   1:45
132   457   2:51
133   282   2:18
134   221   2:34
135   224   2:26
136   377   2: 9
137   315   2:11
138   464   1:56
139   6     2:30
140   107   2:17
141   422   2:11
142x      
143x      
144x      
145   369   1:55
146   349   1:26
147   376   2:42
148   64    1:38
149   93    1:19
150   117   1:31
151   330   1:56
152   179   1:21
153   445   1: 7
154   96    1:44
155   197   1:41
156   101   1:46
157   405   2: 2
158   4     1:47
159   104   1:26
160   15    3: 4
161   417   1:35
162   21    2:48
163   63    0:57
164   59    1:36
165   52    1:42
166   51    1:46
167   329   2:47
168   280   1:48
169   331   2:23
170   303   2:43
171   77    1:30
172   s40   2:49
173   447   2:19
174   410   2:29
175   429   2: 7
176   163   3: 9
177   364   1:36
178   162   1: 3
179   177   1:30
180   272   1:34
181   194   2:23
182   139   1:34
183   473   2: 4
184   189   2:19
185   173   1:20
186   72    1:34
187   285   2:24
188   239   2:50
189   143   2: 1
190   250   1:36
191   207   2: 4
192   216   2:20
193   142   1:55
194   28    3:14
195   s18   1:59
196   38    1:30
197   147   1:41
198   22    1:49
199   253   2:24
200   54    1:55
201   129   2: 9
202   498   2:25
203   380   2:25
204x      
205   s23   4:53
206   257   4: 6
207   371   1:34
208   238   1:18
209   428   2:36
210   123   1:27
211   133   2:59
212   135   2:11
213   108   2:33
214   165   2:11
215   323   3: 6
216   273   3:43
217   42    3:24
218   392   2: 1
219   393   2:12
220   342   2:26
221   259   2:26
222   309   1:36
223   214   2:14
224   268   1:55
225   351   2:33
226   112   1:51
227   347   2:39
228   399   1:43
229   199   1:42
230   354   1:58
231   409   2:11
232   62    2:24
233   467   2: 9
234   49    2:42
235   154   2: 6
236   161   1:55
237   308   1:43
238   27    2: 0
239   281   2: 5
240   s29   3:57
241   180   1:30
242   202   2:16
243   353   1:27
244   348   1:50
245   450   2: 4
246   260   1:37
247   256   2:12
248   s35   2:34
249   39    2:33
250   174   2: 1
251   305   1:25
252   159   1:45
253   320   2: 8
254   219   1:46
255   439   1:54
256   228   2:52
257   169   1:43
258   178   2:32
259   103   2:33
260   124   3:47
261   148   2:34
262   446   2:33
263   321   3: 7
264   466   3:13
265   s32   3:33
266   48    1:42
267   434   1:29
268   41    2:30
269   307   1:54
270   459   3:27
271   155   1:28
272   145   1:47
273   398   1:56
274   297   1:24
275   328   1:46
276   s20   1:40
277   183   1:36
278   s15   1:26
279   468   2:30
280   237   1:30
281   56    2: 7
282   484   2:44
283   318   2: 1
284   90    1:58
285   91    2: 1
286   394   1:33
287o  s9  
288   57    1:41
289   78    1:26
290   85    1:49
291   61    1:51
292   24    1:48
293   s44   2:20
294   67    2:13
295   270   1:43
296   198   3:27
297   s19   2:11
298   s6    2:30
299   210   1:40
300   92    2: 8
301   493   2:21
302   7     2:20
303   9     2: 1
304   88    1:13
305   322   1:50
306   16    2:40
307   115   1:33
308   359   2:44
309   454   2:13
310   248   2:25
311   144   2: 3
312   264   1:39
313   192   1:36
314   441   2:17
315   235   1:30
316   299   2:10
317   66    1:50
318   31    1:51
319   35    2: 6
320   341   1:36
321   258   1:13
322   483   1:33
323   95    1: 6
324   332   1:39
325   37    1:18
326   201   1:26
327   152   1:24
328   s27   2:15
329   s5    2:32
330   55    1:12
331   18    2: 5
332   141   1:57
333   269   1:22
334   100   1:17
335   s10   1:47
336   337   1:27
337   s26   1:41
338   87    1:47
339   251   1:37
340   105   1:55
341   140   1: 7
342   191   1:25
343   291   1:45
344   295   1:20
345   306   2:15
346   60    1:19
347   126   1:57
348   127   1:45
349   170   1:53
350   230   1:18
351   s34   2:55
352   s13   1:47
353   313   1:18
354   68    2:13
355   s22   1:32
356   443   3:15
357x  s45 
358   412   1:52
359   448   1:25
360   400   2: 2
361   247   1:12
362   156   1:25
363   160   1:34
364   436   1:38
365   480   1:45
366   119   2:11
367   172   1:38
368   s30   2:18
369   240   2: 8
370   316   1:49
371   17    1:49
372   302   1:29
373   98    1:28
374   76    1:55
375   389   1:21
376   34    1:55
377   263   1:41
378   276   1:52
379   73    1:35
380   23    2:32
381   225   2:11
382   s33   1:30
383   134   1:28
384   2     1:40
385   284   1:42
386   171   1:35
387   175   1:22
388   414   2:13
389   482   1:21
390   234   2:12
391   79    1:12
392   246   2:14
393   74    1:15
394   275   2:43
395   65    1:49
396   110   2: 6
397   208   1:52
398   218   2:24
399   274   1:35
400   213   1:26
401   365   1:55
402   427   4:25
403   470   1:49
404   222   3:26
405   43    1:34
406   5     1:55
407   s4    1:19
408   346   1:15
409   150   1:38
410   s43   1:37
411   69    1:12
412   182   1:54
413   125   0:59
414   310   2:16
415   s11   1: 4
416   149   1:55
417o  462 
418   26    2:13
419   279   2: 3
420   s2    2:46
421   252   2: 8
422   451   3: 0
423   102   1:56
424   289   1:52
425   333   1:45
426   128   3: 2
427   286   1:21
428   131   1: 1
429   132   1:28
430   463   1:30
431   83    0:47
432   288   1:24
433   453   2:20
434   343   2:26
435   361   2: 0
436   109   1:30
437   278   1:34
438   381   1:58
439   47    2:19
440   97    1:15
441   s39   1:54
442   319   1:27
443   418   2: 2
444   420   2:10
445   385   1:34
446   433   2: 0
447   294   1:35
448   485   1:36
449   444   1:45
450   338   1:38
451   243   1:12
452x      
453x      
454   184   2:14
455   209   2: 3
456   491   1:25
457   292   1:49
458   212   2:18
459   s14   1:41
460   324   4: 0
461   8     2: 0
462   438   2:13
463   471   1:25
464   151   1:26
465   242   1:32
466   118   2:48
467   476   1:42
468   226   2:46
469   431   1:37
470   304   3:21
471   82    1:34
472   99    1:33
473   229   2: 2
474   203   1:59
475   220   2:18
476   340   1:55
477   290   2:11
478   12    3:31
479   s16   2:22
480   s8    2:12
481   187   2:13
482   435   1:44
483   472   1:20
484   419   1:38
485   153   1:58
486   455   2:17
487   205   1:57
488   s37   1:46
489   s41   1:36
490   206   3:28
491   164   2:33
492   14    2:14
493   s24   3: 0
494   287   3: 4
495   426   1:48
496   372   2:29
497   146   1:51
498   350   1:44
499   193   2:49
500   492   1:46
501   137   2:39
502   3     2: 4
503   196   1:39
504   29    1:24
505   326   1:19
506   70    1:31
507   113   2:41
508   19    2:27
509   311   2: 3
510   277   1:35
511   314   1:33
512   339   1:31
513   s3    2:35
514   1     1:35
515   255   1:21
516   s12   2:22
517   266   1:36
518   116   2:47
519   475   2: 0
520   86    1:55
521   408   1:53
522   s25   1:42
523   490   1: 9
524   283   1:55
525   188   1:22
526   456   2:10
527   458   1:30
528   200   1:19
529   327   1:22
530   44    1:53
531   430   1:40
532   223   2: 2
533   295   1:34
534   11    1:41
535   262   1:34
536   236   2: 0
537   293   1:35
538   254   1:41
539   121   2:34
540   s17   2: 7
541   120   2:28
542   167   1:55
543   227   2:10
544   497   1:41
545   500   1:45
546   312   1:48
547   s28   2:19
548   404   2: 3
549   s1    2: 8
550   s42   2:10
551   396   2: 1
552   421   1:53
553   425   1:54
554   s21   2: 3
555   477   1:57
total   17:23: 0

--
Music is Beauty; Beauty is Truth; Truth is Freedom.