Scarlatti Sonata in A major, K.208 & K.209

Domenico Scarlatti (1685 - 1757) , son of the celebrated opera composer Alessandro, emigrated to Portugal in 1719 and then to Spain in 1728. He spent the rest of his life in Madrid as maestro de capilla and music master to the young Princess Maria Barbara, who later became Queen of Spain.
Most of Scarlatti solo keyboard sonatas, well over 500 in number, were composed after his emigration to the Iberian peninsula.
This particular pair, both in A major, composed around 1753, were written in single movement and followed Scarlatti's customary binary form (AB). K.208, marked 'Andante Cantabile', has evoked Scarlatti's Italian operatic legacy. It was almost in the bel canto style with a graceful melody and constant chordal accompaniment throughout, sustained in a tranquil and soothing mood. By contrast, K.209 exploded with energy, inspired in the feel of jota, the popular Spanish folk dance characterised by the triple meter, fast pace and rapid alternation between chords.
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