Trills in Scarlatti K.516 (S.12) - How to Play

[thomasmgill]

Hi all, I am fairly new to playing Baroque music and especially Scarlatti.

I am unsure how to play the trills at the beginning of K.516 (S.12). For the trills on the first note, is it D-E-D-E-D? I am guessing based on the number of "lines" in the trill ornament and the fingering.

Also, what happens in the second measure of the next line? There is a Bflat-D chord in the right hand, but a trill marking beneath the Bflat? Does that mean to trill the bottom note and play Bblat/D-C-Bflat while holding the D?

Thanks in advance. I attached my copy of the sonata for reference.

[iansinclair]

In general, in Baroque and earlier music, a trill begins on the note above the written note -- in your first measure, the E.  The given fingering, however, makes me think that the editor (not the composer) for some reason felt that the trills should begin on the lower note (the D).  I would prefer the former... but that's me, and I'm more Bach oriented.

Trills -- and other ornaments -- in Baroque are always played in time.  In the case of the first measure, for example, it would be 6 sixteenth notes; either EDEDED or DEDEDE or 12 thirty-seconds, same sequences -- and which one I choose would depend on the overall tempo.  In the second measure, I would use 4 thirty-seconds, GFGF.  In the fifth measure, only the top note is trilled.

On that measure in the second line, the lower note would be trilled (I would use 4 thirty-seconds, C Bflat C Bflat) and the upper note held.  Note the resulting contrast between the top line and the second line.  Do not think of it in terms of a Bflat D chord!  This is counterpoint, not romantic music!

Much of this is interpretation, and there are differing opinions and styles; you are getting the way I would do it!

[worov]

A recording can help :

[thomasmgill]

Thank you for the replies.

I appreciate the recording, but she plays the trills so fast that it is almost impossible to tell what the notes are!

I do have an additional question.

On line three, in measure 18, there is a trill with a line through. There's also a sharp above the staff. I am very confused by this. The top note which is to be trilled is a D. Does this mean play E-D-E-F#-E-D? Otherwise I'm not sure what the sharp is referring to.

Also, iansinclair, I agree with you on starting trills on the top note. It makes more mathematical sense to split a quarter note into, say six notes (five 32nds and a dotted sixteenth) or four notes (four sixteenths).