About Sonatas K. 1 - K. 30

Among Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas, K. 1 to K. 30, numbered according to their generally estimated composition dates (Kirkpatrick numbers), were published as Essercizi per Gravicembalo and dedicated to King John V of Portugal in return for the knighthood bestowed upon him. (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 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 brief imitation between the hands; in many cases, the imitative figures appear to have little obvious relation to the main material of the rest of the work.

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 nature of the preface as a text prone to expressions of humility or conventional formality.

K. 16 Presto

The upper voice plays the main melody, supported by a lower voice primarily based on quarter notes. Measures 22-34, which establish the modulation through alternation of tonic and dominant chords and repeated cadences, reappear after a modulation to the relative key, reconfirming the dominant key. The latter half is not a simple repetition of the first; for instance, from measure 71 and measure 82 onwards, variations are introduced, such as sequences based on new rhythmic patterns in the lower voice, differing from the first half.