Sonata in E major

Sonata in E major by Domenico Scarlatti, catalogued as K. 259, is a work for solo piano in E major. Composed during the Baroque era, it forms part of the composer's enduring contribution to the keyboard repertoire and is freely available in the public domain through archives such as IMSLP.

Domenico Scarlatti wrote 555 single-movement keyboard sonatas, mostly in binary form, that combine Iberian guitar idioms, daring harmonic shifts, and a feisty Italian wit. They are the most original keyboard music of the late Baroque outside of Bach.

The work is suited to advanced-level pianists. As with all repertoire from this period, study editions vary; the public-domain engravings linked here are based on the most widely-circulated nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century editions and are sufficient for serious study, recital preparation, and recording.

About Domenico Scarlatti

Domenico Scarlatti wrote 555 single-movement keyboard sonatas, mostly in binary form, that combine Iberian guitar idioms, daring harmonic shifts, and a feisty Italian wit. They are the most original keyboard music of the late Baroque outside of Bach.

Key character — E major

Radiant, optimistic, sunlit. Chopin's E major Étude (Tristesse) and many Romantic nocturnes find their warmth here.

The Baroque Era

The Baroque era brought the keyboard from the harpsichord and clavichord to its expressive zenith. Counterpoint, dance suites, fugues, and ornamentation define the music of Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, and Couperin. Pieces from this period reward careful voice-leading and articulate fingerwork.

About the Sonata form

The sonata is the central architectural form of Classical and Romantic keyboard music: typically three or four contrasting movements built around the dramatic dialogue of sonata-allegro form. From C. P. E. Bach's first essays through Beethoven's 32, Schubert's last great cycle, and the Romantic single-movement experiments of Liszt and Scriabin, the sonata absorbs every major shift in keyboard thinking.