Sonata in A minor, K.175, L.429
Baroque Sonata Piano solo ~6 min
In brief

This A minor sonata feels brisk and incisive, alternating sharp, chatty statements with brief lyrical episodes that call for a decisive attack and clear articulation. You will specifically need « Connaissance des formes (3.6/5) »: identify recurring sections and transition phrases to shape repeats and contrasts, and « Ornements baroque (3.1/5) »: execute embellishments with controlled fingering and pressure so trills and mordents stay clean without breaking the musical flow. From the Baroque period, it belongs to Scarlatti's large set of short, often virtuosic keyboard sonatas designed around compact, energetic movements. I do not give a recommended recording here, out of caution.

MusicCoach difficulty
58/100
Intermediate
Likely range : 42–74/100
Confidence : 53% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
On the syllabus: Grade 7 ABRSM

Official level, taken from the exam syllabus.

Difficulty estimate by MusicCoach on a scale of 1 to 100.

Where this work sits
050100

Most works cluster between 45 and 65: a small score gap often marks a real step. The highlighted bar shows this work among those for the same instrument.

The MusicCoach difficulty measures a work's overall demands (technique, reading, stamina) on a shared 0-100 scale, consolidated from editorial and pedagogical reference points (Henle, exam syllabuses, curation) and our own analyses. It measures neither musical value nor the practice time YOU will need: two musicians of the same level can experience the same work very differently depending on their strengths (hands used to octaves, quick sight-reading…). The confidence reflects how many reference points sit behind the score and how well they agree — a lightly documented score is flagged “to validate”. For a truly personal bearing, the diagnostic and your space compare each work to YOUR estimated level, which the score alone cannot do.

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Difficulty sources
Combined exam syllabi
Grade 7
66/100 normalised
Relative difficulty
58%
Among Domenico Scarlatti
58%
Era Baroque
47%
Genre
Estimated skills
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Reading
Bass clef reading
1
Ornaments
Baroque ornaments
1
Style
Baroque style
1
Tone
Touch control
1
Pedaling
Half-pedalling
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
What to play next?

Each suggestion combines difficulty gap, risk, confidence and skill overlap. The first two cards in each column are the most useful pedagogically.

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