I need advice about recording Scarlatti. Does everybody who plays his music take all the repeats? The piece I am working on now is only four pages; you play page 1 and 2 and then repeat them. Then you go on to page 3 and 4 and then repeat them also. Is it acceptable to not take some of the repeats? I know I did this when I recorded some Clementi, but I don't know what the norm is with Scarlatti.

Hello Monica,

In Scarlatti sonatas, I think it is the generally accepted custom to do repeats for both the first and second halves (and I believe the many performances I have heard on record do them), especially since they are only one-movement pieces and they generally don't have the same sort of developmental finality that many, especially later, classical-period sonatas do (Clementi is a good example, since he often seems to end outer movements with a coda). Whether it is "acceptable" to do them I'm not sure. I'm never one to be prescriptivist about repeats in general. While I would do the repeats myself in Scarlatti, I could certainly enjoy a performance without them

--Joe

Ok, thanks for the help, Joe.

Yeah normally when I hear scarlatti on recital programs I've heard the repeats taken, or at least the 1st repeat. From what I understand it's customary to take the first repeat but skip the second if you want to.

loco!

I'm bringing this thread up again because now I have another question:

I need to pick out a Scarlatti sonata for this little project I'm working on, but I hardly know any of the sonatas, so I don't have any favorites. The type of piece I'm looking for should be pretty short, like under 3 minutes, not have tons of trills, not be the most difficult - but also not the easiest - well, maybe easy but sounds hard would be good. I don't really care about the key or if it's major or minor.

So, I'm just wondering if any of you have special favorites and if they fit what I need. I know we have some sonatas on the site but thought it would help to hear from some of you first, instead of having to listen to every sonata (on the site, and elsewhere)!

thanks for all your help .
I popped into a music store today and picked up a Scarlatti book with several of the types of pieces I am looking for, so never mind my request.

Generally you would want to take the repeats. These are Late Baroque binary forms akin to the dance suite movements. In that time, some variation would usually be expected in the repeats.

Basically, though, proportion would require that you either do all of the repeats or none of them. Unlike the classical sonata in which the un-repeated development / recapitulation will usually balance the repeated exposition, the more compact form of the Scarlatti Sonatas would be out of balance.

My recommendation would be to forget Scarlatti!

I'm trying to pick out a few as well Mon, but am having a tough time finding one or two that fit the criteria ... there's only like 600+ of them tho, so a mere 8 to 10 wks to listen and figure out which should work!

Thank you for the advice, RSPIll. That makes sense.


Oh, Nathan! Ahhhhhhhhh!!
shhh.....

*innocent look* I see nothing, I hear nothing ... I know nothing!

Just my own opinion, but I think it is appropriate to take all of the repeats. Not taking the repeats would be synonymous with changing the notes. Modulation in reference to phrasing, dynamics, tone, etc. is perfectly acceptable, but not taking a repeat is a drastic change in the piece.

oh boy, conflicting ideas. Well, for my project, I am allowed to not take the repeats. If I record the pieces for the site, I will do the repeats. Thanks for your opinion, and btw I fixed your quotes too.