Within Galuppi’s instrumental output, the music for harpsichord occupies a place of primary importance, to the point that, in terms of both quantity and quality, it may stand as representative of the entire corpus. Consulting Franco Rossi’s thematic catalogue, one can count 172 sonatas, often consisting of several movements. A quick calculation yields a total of approximately 400 movements. These purely quantitative data, to which qualitative considerations must be added, given the considerable musical significance of many of Galuppi’s sonatas, place the Buranello, in a hypothetical ranking of Italian eighteenth-century harpsichordists, in second place after Domenico Scarlatti. These compositions are highly heterogeneous, both formally and stylistically, having accompanied the composer throughout his life. Moreover, Galuppi’s numerous journeys in Italy and across Europe enabled him to play instruments with differing tonal and organological characteristics, leaving traces of this experience within the sonata corpus. All this raises a number of questions for performers, the principal one being the choice of instrument. From Burney we learn that Galuppi had a clavichord at home, a fact confirmed by the inventory of his possessions drawn up after his death. His sonatas, when not expressly intended for the organ, allow for performance on various harpsichord models, chosen according to the music, but also, if desired, on the clavichord and on the early fortepianos of Cristofori or Silbermann.
The sonatas presented in this volume have diverse origins and stand out for their great structural, formal, and stylistic variety. The sonatas R.A.1.11.12, R.A.1.11.14, R.A.1.11.15, R.A.1.08.12, R.A.1.16.01 are presented here in their first performance. As regards structure, namely the number of movements and their succession, all the sonatas included are strongly representative of Galuppi’s writing: there are sonatas in one, two, and three movements.
The Sonata in F major R.A.1.08.02, which opens the recording, consists of three movements in a slow-fast-fast sequence. The first movement is a clear homage by Galuppi to the Prélude non mesuré, widely used by French harpsichordists, and frequently adopted also by Handel. It may be hypothesised, with a good degree of plausibility, that the latter was Galuppi’s model, and that the entire sonata, unmistakably youthful in style, was composed by the Buranello during his London sojourn between 1741 and 1743. If this were true, one might ask why it did not, like others, find its way into Walsh’s publications; it is possible, however, that the writing adopted by the composer was deemed by the publisher too virtuosic for an edition aimed primarily at amateurs.
The Sonata in B-flat major R.A.1.16.04, by contrast, consists of two movements in a slow-fast sequence, and can boast no fewer than twelve manuscript sources. The first movement, an Andantino of marked cantabilità, represents a later phase of Galuppi’s writing, incorporating elements derived from dramma giocoso. This is even more evident in the ensuing Presto. In this brilliant piece, particular attention should be drawn to the cadential ‘snatched’ chords in the two sections, on the dominant and the tonic, in which the first and third beats of the bar feature groups of four semiquavers alternating between the hands, while the second beat is occupied by a rest. This allows the composer to obtain a particularly comic and original effect, well suited to the sound of the Italian harpsichord.
The Sonata in G major R.A.1.11.14, a single movement of broad cantabilità, seems to anticipate the writing of certain harpsichord pages by Joseph Haydn. One may compare, in this regard, the slow movements (both in the key of G, albeit minor) of the sonatas Hob. XVI no. 2 and Hob. XVI no. 6, datable to the early 1760s. It is well known that Haydn esteemed Galuppi (as well as Hasse), especially for his theatrical output, which undoubtedly served as a model for younger composers. It is therefore unsurprising to find certain affinities between the two also in music for keyboard.
The Sonata in G major R.A.1.11.15, like the previous one, survives in a single source preserved in Berlin. It consists of a single movement, Allegro assai, whose brilliant writing immediately calls to mind the opening movement of an opera overture.
The Sonata in C major R.A.1.01.15, on the other hand, consists of three movements in a slow-fast-fast tempo scheme. This sonata, also preserved in Berlin, differs markedly from the preceding ones, owing to the relative brevity of its individual movements and to its more mannered style, which at certain points seems to anticipate Mozart’s Viennese sonatinas K439b.
The Sonata in G major R.A.1.11.03, in two movements, survives in two sources: one preserved in Brussels, and one, with the second movement mutilated, in Venice. The first movement, a Larghetto in 3/4, offers one of the finest melodies invented by Galuppi for a keyboard instrument and, uniquely within his entire output, each section is divided in two, with the second half presenting the diminutions written out by the composer. This brings to mind Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s Sonaten mit Veränderten Reprisen H.136-140, published in Berlin in 1760. It is difficult to say whether there is any relationship between the sonatas of the two composers, since, given the current state of research, there is no evidence on which to establish a credible dating for Galuppi’s sonata. It is known that the two met in 1765, during Galuppi’s journey to St Petersburg, but it is possible that this choice, in any case marginal in Galuppi, was an independent initiative on the part of both composers. The second movement, an Andante in 2/4, is stylistically close to the Sonata in C major just discussed.
The Sonata in G major R.A.1.11.12, a single-movement Allegro, survives in a single source held at the Conservatorio San Pietro a Majella in Naples. It is noteworthy for its particular writing and for certain textual affinities between music by the Buranello himself and by Joseph Haydn. Beginning with Haydn, one may observe how the incipit of Galuppi’s sonata recalls the opening bars of the first movement of Haydn’s sonata (also in G major) Hob. XVI no. 27, datable to around the mid-1770s. There is a further element that allows us to propose a dating hypothesis for this sonata. A close analysis reveals that the melodic fragments over dominant and tonic pedals at the end of the two sections recall the corresponding passages (as well as the incipit, albeit with different harmonisation) of Argene’s aria ‘Fiamma ignota’ from Galuppi’s L’Olimpiade, first performed on 26 December 1747 at the Teatro Regio Ducale in Milan. It is therefore plausible to date this sonata to around that time.
The Sonata in F major R.A.1.08.12 is a charming minuet preserved in Berlin. The recording closes with the Sonata in B-flat major R.A.1.16.01. This sonata, in three movements of ample proportions, in a fast-slow-fast sequence, is preserved in two sources at the Sächsische Landesbibliothek in Dresden and at the British Library in London. It is notable for the brilliant and elegant writing of all three movements, as well as for the exhaustive treatment of the keyboard, which suggests a date later than all the other sonatas presented here.
Alvise De Piero © 2026
The Hidden Galuppi Vol. 1 – Sonatas from Manuscript Sources
