Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, op. 135b
Romantic FugueFantasia Piano solo ~15 min
In brief

This Fantasia and Fugue in D minor projects a sustained dramatic tension and contrapuntal density, with chromatic episodes that call for a dark, incisive coloring rather than mere sentiment. Technical challenges to focus on include Analysis harmonique (4.4/5), which here requires fast recognition of chromatic progressions and modulations to adjust voice balances, and Polyphony for three voices or more (4.4/5), demanding independent hand technique, clear distribution of voices between fingers and distinct articulation to preserve contrapuntal clarity. The piece sits within the late Romantic idiom and represents the composer's engagement with polyphonic piano writing, blending traditional counterpoint with denser, more expressive harmony.

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Is this the right work?
MusicCoach difficulty
75/100
Advanced
Likely range : 63–87/100
Confidence : 40% · 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
85%
Among Max Reger
86%
Era Romantic
82%
Genre
Estimated skills
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Technique
Three-or-more-voice polyphony
2
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Technique
Hand independence
1
Technique
Fast passages
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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