Estimated from our difficulty score, not taken from an exam syllabus. Checked against 333 works on the ABRSM syllabus: the exact grade is right 7 times out of 10, and within one grade 99 times out of 100.
Difficulty estimate by MusicCoach on a scale of 1 to 100.
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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Each suggestion combines difficulty gap, risk, confidence and skill overlap. The first two cards in each column are the most useful pedagogically.
The safest next step.
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
A useful leap with guided practice.
This C major sonata feels bright and springy, alternating sparkling, crisp passagework with more singing responses that require clear articulation and a steady rhythmic drive to keep the Baroque momentum. You will specifically face Analyse harmonique (3.6/5): in practice that means identifying and shaping cadences and harmonic turns so you adjust legato and accents at points of tension, and Ornements baroque (3.1/5), which demands precise fingering and timing of ornaments (quick mordents and acciaccaturas on weak beats) so they enhance the line without interrupting the flow. Composed in the Baroque period, it belongs to Scarlatti's extensive set of keyboard sonatas and exemplifies his taste for contrast and light, often Iberian-flavored effects rather than radical formal experiments. I do not give a recording recommendation here out of caution, since I cannot be fully certain of a single widely recognized reference for this specific sonata.