Mephisto Polka, S.217, R.39
Romantic Polka Piano solo ~5 min
In brief

This Mephisto Polka reads as a lively, provocative polka where springing rhythms and a mocking, playful character punctuate with sharp bursts of virtuosity rather than long lyrical lines. You will need to focus especially on Octaves (4.6/5) — here that means executing rapid, precise jumps while maintaining tone through arm weight and economical wrist motion — and Hand Crossings (4.6/5), which require the right hand to pass over or under the left cleanly to preserve melodic continuity and forward momentum. The piece belongs to the Romantic period and occupies the role of a short, spectacular showpiece in Liszt’s output, designed for display and dramatic effect rather than extended introspection.

MusicCoach difficulty
90/100
Master repertoire
Likely range : 78–100/100
Confidence : 42% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
Beyond grade 8

The grade scale stops at 8; this work belongs to concert or diploma repertoire.

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
92%
Among Franz Liszt
98%
Era Romantic
98%
Genre
Estimated skills
Technique
Hand crossings
1
Technique
Octaves
1
Technique
Fast passages
2
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Rhythm
Dotted rhythms
1
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