Piano Sonata no. 1 in C major, op. 2, no. 3
Romantic Sonata Piano solo ~15 min
In brief

This sonata has a bright, spirited character, shifting between virtuosic passagework and singing episodes that call for rhythmic clarity more than heavy sentiment. You will need to focus on Connaissance des formes (3.6/5) to map reprises, transitions and key changes — which directs articulation and the balance between melody and accompaniment — and on Pedal sustain (3.1/5) to manage resonance in wide chords without muddying inner voices, requiring precise timing of pedal down and release. The piece belongs to Hummel's early sonata output and sits at the crossroads between Classical forms and emerging Romantic tendencies. I do not give a reference interpretation here out of caution.

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Is this the right work?
MusicCoach difficulty
50/100
Intermediate
Likely range : 38–62/100
Confidence : 35% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 5 to 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
20%
Among Johann Nepomuk Hummel
35%
Era Romantic
26%
Genre
Estimated skills
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Technique
Legato
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
1
Style
Classical style
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.

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