Sonata in C major
This Sonata in C major by Domenico Scarlatti is a lilting keyboard piece in 12/8, Octotune grade 5 of 8: a tune in long and short notes over rolling broken chords, with trills, and nearly all white keys.
At a glance
| Composer | Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Intermediate: grade 5 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: no sharps or flats |
| Time | 12/8 |
| Tempo | 120 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 46 measures, about 2:18 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | B3 to A5 |
| Left hand | C2 to E4 |
| On the path | Unit 12, Sight-reading |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Sonata in C major | 5 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Domenico Scarlatti wrote about 555 keyboard sonatas, most of them while serving the royal court of Portugal and then Spain. Most are single movements in two halves, full of bright, surprising keyboard writing. This one is in C major and 12/8, and every note in it is one Octotune's path teaches.
How it is built. In 12/8 there are four beats in a measure, each divided in three, so the music lilts. The tune moves in long and short notes, quarter then eighth, and the right hand often fills in broken chords around it. The left hand plays long bass notes and rolling chord shapes. Short trills decorate the line.
The tricky parts
- 12/8. Count "1 2 3, 2 2 3, 3 2 3, 4 2 3" at first; then feel four swinging beats.
- Leaps. Both hands jump more than an octave in places, and the right hand moves between tune and broken chords. Look ahead.
- Trills. Octotune plays them but doesn't wait for them. Learn the plain line first.
- Accidentals. A few F sharps and others as the music visits G major.
Practice plan
- The tune alone with the Melody level in Wait for me. This is how Unit 12 plays it, at your own pace.
- Each hand alone at the Full level.
- Both hands at 50% speed with Loop this measure, then Play along.
In the path: Unit 12 for grown-ups plays its tune: a real sonata, read note by note.
Questions
Is this Scarlatti sonata hard?
It is an early-intermediate piece, Octotune grade 5 of 8. Its notes are all white keys but a few, and every note is one the path teaches; the 12/8 rhythm, the leaps and the trills are the challenges.
How many sonatas did Scarlatti write?
About 555 keyboard sonatas, most of them single movements in two halves, written for the harpsichord.
Credits and license
- Music: Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757)
- Typeset by Bas Wassink for the Mutopia Project
- License: Public Domain
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece