Two Scarlatti Sonatas for Marimba

If you are a marimba player seeking a challenge, then look no further! The two arrangements in this petite collection include Sonata in G Major K.2 L.388 and Sonata in e minor K.98 L.325. 

From Joshua D. Smith, Percussive Notes -- July 2017

For both of these four-mallet solos, performers should expect a workout in their single-alternating stokes, as Mario Gaetano did a good job of arranging notes that were originally written for nimble, quick-moving fingers across a keyboard. And, as is expected of most keyboard works of the late Baroque-early classical period, there is no break in the momentum from beginning to end. Each of the solos lasts around four minutes and packs the melodic and harmonic challenges found in the violin and cello works of J.S. Bach -- which is to say, they will eat you for lunch if you don't have your head in the game. As with most music from this period where the music theory contained within is airtight, wrong notes stick out like a neon sign. Slow and patient practice, combined with a formal analysis of each phrase, will serve marimbists well as they prepare for performance.