About Sonatas K1 - K30

Among Scarlatti's sonatas for keyboard, K. 1 to 30, numbered according to the generally estimated composition dates in the Kirkpatrick catalog, were published as Essercizi per Gravicembalo and dedicated to King João V of Portugal in return for the bestowal of a knighthood. (This collection is generally translated as "Exercises for Harpsichord," and while Scarlatti's works for keyboard instruments are primarily presumed to be for harpsichord, the current state of research indicates that it is not entirely clear whether other keyboard instruments were completely out of consideration.) This was the only collection published by the composer himself during his lifetime, and its preface holds value as an authentic documentary source by the composer himself.

The preface suggests that the collection aims at the cultivation of performance technique, leading to the inference that it was written for the practical purpose of daily practice for Maria Barbara, whom he served as a music teacher. Regarding the composition dates, many researchers argue for an early composition period, viewing the Essercizi as revisions of sonatas written considerably earlier, but a definitive conclusion has not yet been reached.

The arrangement of all 30 pieces allows for progressive learning, with later works generally becoming longer and more difficult. The form is fundamentally binary. It is also typical of Scarlatti's sonatas for the opening of a piece to feature brief imitation between both hands; in many cases, the imitative figures appear to have little direct relation to the main material of the rest of the piece.

Furthermore, the preface contains remarks touching upon the overall musical content of the collection, but their interpretation has been repeatedly debated, partly due to the nature of the preface as a text prone to expressions of humility or conventional formality.

About K.2 [Presto] G major

The final movement of Handel's Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 1, composed in 1739, is said to be based on K. 2, beginning with the same imitative figure of octave leaps. This work primarily features the alternation of sixteenth-note arpeggiated chords. Conversely to No. 1, the right hand reinforces the descending melodic line spun by the left hand's arpeggiated chords.