10 Czech Dances, Book 2, JB 1:114
Romantic Piano solo ~17 min
In brief

These dances have a lively, rustic character, alternating light, sprightly figures with folk-like accents that call for rhythmic clarity more than long cantabile lines. Technically, you will need to focus in particular on Tempo rubato (3.1/5) — here that means small, controlled flexions of tempo achieved by subtle arm and wrist adjustments without breaking the underlying pulse — and on Sustain pedal (3.1/5), which requires precise lifts and re-depressions to keep harmonic outlines clear and avoid blurring. The work belongs to the Romantic period and is part of the composer’s collected set titled "10 Czech Dances, Book 2," situated among his dance and salon piano pieces.

MusicCoach difficulty
35/100
Elementary
Likely range : 23–47/100
Confidence : 35% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 3 to 4

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
22%
Among Bedrich Smetana
10%
Era Romantic
Genre
Estimated skills
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
1
Rhythm
General rhythm
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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