About Sonatas K. 1 - K. 30

Among Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas, K. 1 to 30, numbered according to their generally estimated composition dates (Kirkpatrick numbers), 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 Scarlatti's works for keyboard instruments are primarily presumed to be for harpsichord; however, the current state of research does not definitively rule out other keyboard instruments.) 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 date, many researchers argue for an early composition date, viewing the Essercizi as revisions of sonatas written considerably earlier, but no definitive conclusion has 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. Furthermore, it is typical of Scarlatti's sonatas for the opening of a work to feature a short imitation between both hands; in many cases, the imitative figure appears to have little direct relation to the main material of the rest of the work.

It should be noted that the preface also contains remarks touching upon the overall musical content of the collection, but their interpretation has been repeatedly debated, partly due to the preface being a text prone to expressions of humility or conventional formality.

K. 13 Presto

The opening of the work features a cadence in the tonic key, followed by a two-measure sequence centered on parallel motion in two voices. Thereafter, the writing up to the ascending scale leading to the final cadence of the first half changes at the points of modulation and cadence. The second half begins in the dominant key, and although the figures change somewhat, the writing style and order of each section are fundamentally the same as in the first half.