Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 01/24/2006, uploaded on 01/23/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Sonata No. 8 in d minor             Antonio Soler

In 1736, Catalan-born Antonio Francisco Javier José Soler Ramos entered the choir school at Montserrat, beginning a life-long relationship with the church.   This led to his entering the Jeronymite order at the Escorial in 1752 where he became maestro de capella. His musical training included study with José de Nebra and Domenico Scarlatti. By 1765, during royal visits, he was keyboard instructor to the talented Prince Gabriel, whose interest spurred Soler to compose some 120 keyboard sonatas. Soler's desire to please the Prince led him to construct a small, square stringed keyboard instrument ("afinador" or "templante") to show the difference between the smaller and larger semitones and tones.

Like Domenico Scarlatti, Soler is known almost entirely for his keyboard sonatas written for royal patrons.  In some of these, typical Spanish rhythms and turns of phrase appear.  Soler also wrote an important book on modulation, Llave de la modulación.    Hayk Arsenyan

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.