Violin solo
Modern Violin solo
In brief

The piece projects a tense, focused atmosphere, built from long bows and abrupt fragments that demand clarity of tone rather than showy virtuosity. Technically, two aspects are especially demanding: Intonation (4.3/5), requiring very fine left-hand adjustments and a consistently engaged inner ear for unstable intervals, and Double stops (4.3/5), where finger alignment and pressure control are necessary to secure simultaneous tuning and resonance. Composed in the modern period, the work reflects the composer's interest in contrapuntal density and solo timbral variety, and occupies a distinct place among his solo-instrument works. I do not provide a reference recording here because I cannot confidently name a widely recognized interpretation for this specific piece.

MusicCoach difficulty
55/100
Intermediate
Likely range : 43–67/100
Confidence : 32% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 6

Estimated from our difficulty score, not taken from an exam syllabus. Checked against 333 works on the ABRSM syllabus: the exact grade is right 7 times out of 10, and within one grade 99 times out of 100.

Difficulty estimate by MusicCoach on a scale of 1 to 100.

Where this work sits
050100

Most works cluster between 45 and 65: a small score gap often marks a real step. The highlighted bar shows this work among those for the same instrument.

The MusicCoach difficulty measures a work's overall demands (technique, reading, stamina) on a shared 0-100 scale, consolidated from editorial and pedagogical reference points (Henle, exam syllabuses, curation) and our own analyses. It measures neither musical value nor the practice time YOU will need: two musicians of the same level can experience the same work very differently depending on their strengths (hands used to octaves, quick sight-reading…). The confidence reflects how many reference points sit behind the score and how well they agree — a lightly documented score is flagged “to validate”. For a truly personal bearing, the diagnostic and your space compare each work to YOUR estimated level, which the score alone cannot do.

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Relative difficulty
29%
Among Vagn Holmboe
15%
Era Modern
Genre
Estimated skills
Technique
Double stops
1
Technique
Intonation
1
Technique
High positions
1
Technique
Position changes
2
Rhythm
Polyrhythm 2 against 3
1
Style
Modern and contemporary style
1
Style
Character and style
1
Technique
Legato
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Technique
Staccato
1
Technique
General technique
1
What to play next?

Each suggestion combines difficulty gap, risk, confidence and skill overlap. The first two cards in each column are the most useful pedagogically.

See the whole progression