DESCRIPTION:
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Keyboard Sonata in D Minor, K517
Programmed by Daniel Brummel

This arrangement & audio recording ©2016 Daniel Brummel / Oldowan Industry Music [ASCAP]
For usage contact: www.danielbrummel.com

Scarlatti wrote around 555 sonatas, and K517 is one of only three marked “Prestissimo,” meaning “very quickly.” It’s impossible to say exactly how fast it was originally intended to be played, since we have no recordings from the 1750s, and the metronome wasn’t even invented until 1816 (by Mälzel at Beethoven’s request). So I think of “Prestissimo” as a more stylistic indication — the piece is meant to convey an impressive sense of speed. Please share!