The Keyboard Sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti and Eighteenth-Century Musical Style - Tapa blanda

Review of the hardback: '... this book provides an unparalleled study of these works: their form, musical grammar and idiosyncrasies, and their place in musical history.' The Consort

Review of the hardback: 'Sutcliffe is a useful and careful guide to the unsolved puzzles, knows both music and secondary literature thoroughly and has worked hard to take into account all kinds of sources (including CD notes) illustrating the approaches of today's scholars and performers. His remarks on the form of these sonatas are particularly valuable, as are the many observations on what is original and what less so.' The Times Literary Supplement

Review of the hardback: '... a perceptive new investigation ... Sutcliffe is an articulate, often witty writer ...' BBC Music Magazine

Review of the hardback: 'W. Dean Sutcliffe's recent publication is the first specifically about the sonatas to appear in English for 50 years and it probes deeply into every fact of Scarlatti's legacy ... there are some stimulating and thought-provoking chapters, and the research is impeccable.' Early Music Today

Review of the hardback: 'An exceptional amount of work and much insight has gone into The Keyboard Sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti ... this book is clearly a landmark ...' Eighteenth-century Music

'His scholarship is both detailed and panoramic. His intimate knowledge of all things scarlattian is complemented by an uncommon familiarity with the musical and cultural backgrounds against which the composer worked ...' Piano

W. Dean Sutcliffe investigates one of the greatest yet least understood repertories of Western keyboard music: the 555 keyboard sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti. Scarlatti occupies a position of solitary splendour in musical history. The sources of his style are often obscure and his immediate influence is difficult to discern. Further, the lack of hard documentary evidence has hindered musicological activity. Dr Sutcliffe offers not just a thorough reconsideration of the historical factors that have contributed to Scarlatti's position, but also sustained engagement with the music, offering both individual readings and broader commentary of an unprecedented kind. A principal task of this book is to remove the composer from his critical ghetto (however honourable) and redefine his image. In so doing it will reflect on the historiographical difficulties involved in understanding eighteenth-century musical style.