Grand fantasia de bravoure sur 'La clochette', S.420, R.231
Romantic Fantasia Piano solo ~10 min
In brief

This fantasy is characterized by a virtuosic, bell-like brightness: it alternates sparkling arpeggiations and bright rhythmic outbursts that evoke a little bell within a parade-like pianistic showpiece. Technically, pay close attention to the Tempo rubato (3.1/5) — here it means shaping the pulse with small, controlled anticipations and delays without losing the harmonic line — and to the Pedal sustain (3.1/5), which requires precise changes and often half-pedaling to keep arpeggios clear while blending resonances. The piece belongs to Liszt's Romantic output as a bravura fantasy intended to showcase pianistic flair and imagination. I do not give a recommended recording because I am not 100% certain of a single widely recognized reference for this particular fantasy.

MusicCoach difficulty
75/100
Advanced
Likely range : 63–87/100
Confidence : 35% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 8

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
52%
Among Franz Liszt
86%
Era Romantic
82%
Genre
Estimated skills
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
2
Technique
Legato
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
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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