Sonata in D minor, K.141, L.422
Baroque Sonata Piano solo ~4 min
In brief

This D minor sonata has a sharp, driving character where leaps and percussive responses create ongoing tension rather than lyrical repose, so think of it as a succession of dramatic exchanges between the hands. Technically, your Harmonic analysis (3.6/5) will help you spot modulatory links and plan fingerings that make rapid passages and accents more secure, and Baroque style (3.1/5) requires crisp, nuanced articulation — short wrist motions, clear separation of attacks and careful handling of ornaments to keep energy without blurring the voices. The piece belongs to Scarlatti's keyboard output from the Baroque period, part of a large group of short, inventive sonatas originally conceived for the domestic harpsichord.

MusicCoach difficulty
66/100
Advanced
Likely range : 56–77/100
Confidence : 64% · fair confidence
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
On the syllabus: Grade 6 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
Henle Verlag
7
74/100 normalised · 2 obs.
Combined exam syllabi
Grade 6
55/100 normalised
Relative difficulty
83%
Among Domenico Scarlatti
80%
Era Baroque
69%
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
Technique
Hand independence
1
Technique
Fast passages
1
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
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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