Concert Etude in C major, JB 1:73
Romantic Étude Piano solo ~6 min
In brief

This Etude in C major is lively and sparkling, often playful but requiring precise articulation so the figurations remain clear; it carries a Romantic impulse with accented moments that must sing without becoming heavy. You will face specific technical challenges in Gammes et arpèges (4.0/5), which demand a flexible, even hand to connect fast runs smoothly, and in Passages rapides (4.0/5), where economical wrist and finger motions are needed to articulate each note while keeping the pulse. The piece belongs to the Romantic period and sits among Smetana’s piano studies and salon pieces that combine expressive intent with technical training. I do not give a reference recording because I am not fully certain of a specific, widely recognized performance of this exact etude.

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Sheet music

Public-domain sheet music on IMSLP ↗

Is this the right work?
MusicCoach difficulty
65/100
Advanced
Likely range : 53–77/100
Confidence : 35% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 7

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
97%
Among Bedrich Smetana
67%
Era Romantic
38%
Genre
Estimated skills
Technique
Scales and arpeggios
1
Technique
Fast passages
1
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Technique
Double notes
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
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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