I'm after a bit of advice with this piece. I first started it years ago (it was on the G8 syllabus in '99-00) but stopped before I got good at it. I recently got it out again, and it's almost there, but I have a few problems...

1) There are no articulation or dynamic indications at all. I'm aware Scarlatti wouldn't have composed for piano, but I'm playing on one. I've experimented with adding a few but I'm not really sure if what I'm doing is appropriate. Can the LH get away with being fairly detatched under a smooth-ish RH, or would you avoid too many slurs altogether? Are big variations in dynamic suited to this style, or should I vary tempo instead? Or a mixture?

2) b13-15. Can I use any rubato here? It's all written as DSQs, but grouped as 6 followed by a quaver, then 7 then 8. (We're in 12/8) It sounds a bit odd however I try it.

3) The Presto section. (in 3/8 now) in semi-quavers at dotted crotchet = 76?! I've got it steady at 56, but my fingers seem to have a mind of their own at any greater speed! Is this acceptable, or should I perhaps risk sacrificing some detail for more speed?

I'm hoping to do this in the performance assessment this session, with the aim of establishing whether I can play grade 8 pieces at roughly the right standard.

play what you think is best in the most stylistic intepretation possible.

Rubato shouldn't really be used in Baroque music :-/

Articulation and dynamics should be to the players discretion really, but try keep it spiky, the style of Baroque. Dynamics should be more "terraced" than have like mp, then mf then f etc.

If you cant get a certain section upto speed, go as fast as you can comfortably go as long as it still sounds effective


hope this helps

Ooh, I think I remember that one from when I did grade 8. I'll have a look this evening at the score. I didn't play it, but I remember it, I think; is it the one with the Pastorale which is a little like Corelli's 'Christmas' concerto grosso played upside-down?

Generally, a non-legato effect is appropriate during runs in Scarlatti - thinking back to its heritage of being written for harpsichord, which has a substantially shorter-lived sound and an aggressive key-off effect if played with velocity.

As for dynamics - play without them and make the music 'work' using articulation. Then, put dynamics in to add colour - they should enhance the performance, not be used as an alternative to playing in a 'baroque manner'.

As for the rest, I'll have a look at the score .

well its down to personal opinion on this really

if you want the dynamics but in Baroque style, make it so its F then P then F etc or whatever

if you want the harpsichord effect, use a harpsichord or try very hard to not get any dynamic variation

for the modern performance, use whatever you think is suitable

am I right?

I think modern performance could still learn from harpsichord technique; this is the premise I'm using for my current study of Bach - realising ornaments in a historically correct manner, in places using ornaments as an alternative to accents when the effect is better, etc.

Should dynamics be gradual changes? Erm, tricky to say. In non-keyboard writing from the period, dynamic contrast can be quite significant. Would the composers have used the same level of contrast on keyboard instruments were it available? Your guess is as good as mine. I work on the articulation, ornamentation, voicing etc. then add dynamics as 'colouring' to give a musically convincing performance on many levels.

As you say, it's down to personal opinion: you are right; I am right also .

I'm glad you have opinions; clearly you are thinking about these matters .

well...what i was taught about Baroque Music at GCSE (well...not sure if it applies to keyboard music) is that dynamics should be in blocks of P and F, no in betweens or hairpins etc...but you never know. for a more expressive performance than historical, i suppose you would use more dynamic range

On keyboard, that comes from achieving a dynamic effect on harpsichord and organ by using the stops - their operation is cumbersome so rapid change was not possible. On harpsichord, one could achieve 'p' by using a single 8' register; then, for mf, add another 8' register; then, for f, add the 4' register and/or 16' register.

The clavichord has a little dynamic range, so one can achieve gradual dynamic changes. Also, one can do vibrato by 'wobbling' one's finger up and down on the key once depressed; something obviously not possible on a modern piano as once the hammer has hit the string it withdraws.

If you get the chance, listen to a good period performance of something baroque - anything, really - by a quality period-performance ensemble: The English Concert, the Academy of Ancient Music etc. etc. Rubato, dynamics - it's all there, sounds musically convincing and not at all out of character.

Thanks for taking the time to have a look I don't know the Christmas concerto (or I don't know the name), but the middle section of this reminds me of christmas in a way I can't quite pin down...One other thing - my old piano teacher suggested a RH delay in b10, the G#, so it comes down after the LH chord, then a slight pause after that beat. I wasn't sure this was 'allowed' but it does sound nice.

The bit I'm thinking of in the Corelli goes, transcribed into C major:

e . f g . e a . g a g f g . f g . e f g e d . g e

(each letter name is a quaver, a dot means keep the previous note held down instead)

If I recall the Scarlatti correctly, the theme in the Pastorale opens with:

c . g e . g a g a b a b

(with the last two groups of 3 written dotted-quaver semiquaver quaver)

or something similar; I only quick studied it once before my DipABRSM so I don't know it that well..


To a certain extent, drop the pseudo-intellectualism if it 'sounds nice' .

Firstly, Scarlatti generally does not have any dynamic/articulation markings. You should use your own judgement for both. Secondly, rubato doesn't suit the baroque period, but you should definitely perform with a sense of performance. The melodic line is generally most important in Scarlatti. Finally, you should always practice in half-tempo first and then at a faster tempo. That'll usually present your fingers from having a mind of their own.

This is the middle of three sections - we've moved into G maj by this time, but that's the gist of how it sounds.

The weird rhythm bit is before this, in the moderato bit. The notes at the bottom say they left the inexact notation as it is, as it explains itself!

Many thanks for the help, one day I may be brave enough to send it to the recordings site!

OK, got out my grade 8 exam pieces book which has this piece in. Promptly lost half-an-hour playing through the pieces I didn't at the time .

Anyhow, the Scarlatti needs articulation or it'd be dull. The opening needs a spring in its step that a pedantic interpretation could not provide; pick something nice for the right-hand, and keep it the same for the left hand when it comes in.

In the bit kept in its original notation: essentially, it's in free time. The quick-notes are explicit 'glossas' - fancy run bits added to what would otherwise be a spartan section of score. How they are played is entirely down to you: a slight accelerando can be quite effective, but that's just my opinion. Don't take them so slowly that they don't have momentum, though.

In the pastorale: I'd aim for a two-in a bar feel. Slurs to accentuate the notes on the beats and the crotchet-quaver rhythm. Even, perhaps, little stabs of pedal on the crotchets to reinforce the slurs and improve the tone production.

In the presto: forget everything I've mentioned so far . Try and play the semiquavers with a non-legato, whilst at the same time non-stacatto, feel to them. Not skittish, still nice and solid, just not entirely mellifluous. Detatch the quavers as you see fit to preserve the inherent energy in the movement.

Hope that helps . Of course, this is only my opinion; I don't want to come across as too bossy .

Not at all bossy Thanks for taking the time to look. I'll have a listen to a few recordings of it too, see how they compare with what I do The presto is the only part of any piece I can play from memory, I have my eyes on my hands the whole way through!

It was a good year for pieces, I've played lots of them and really enjoyed them.

Yay .

or am I celebrating too soon