Minuetto Scherzando in E minor

Minuet - Menuet - Menuetto

A Minuetto is the Italian word for minuet or menuet, a triple-meter dance originating from France.

According to Johann Christian Bach, the player should give a slight accent to the first beat of every two bars of the menuet in order to give pulse and direction to the dance.

This is an Italian Baroque minuet by Alessandro Scarlatti.

Although Scarlatti himself provided no tempo indication, this minuetto should be played in a rather moderate tempo, around MM=132 per eighth note.

For your convenience, the editor has added to this score suggested realizations for the cadential trills in measures 7, 15 and 23.

According to Baroque performance practice, such cadential trills are mandatory even if not indicated by the composer, and should start on the upper note, ON the beat.

Furthermore, the chords in measures 8, 16 and 24 ought to be broken rapidly. Although we prefer to break them upwards, the player can very well choose to break them downwards, or even both ways.

Duration : 00:40

Source : Alessandro Scarlatti, Miscellaneous Keyboard Pieces.