Violin Concerto no. 5 in E flat major, op. 17
Romantic Violin and Orchestra
In brief

This concerto in E-flat has a decidedly singing, expansive character, with broad lyrical lines interrupted by virtuosic passages that switch between orchestral brilliance and intimate solo-orchestra dialogue. Technical challenges to address include Tempo rubato (3.1/5), which here requires small stretches and compressions of tempo in cadenzas and long portamenti without breaking the melodic line, and Pédale de sustain (3.1/5), meaning concrete control of bow distribution, pressure and vibrato to sustain tones through long phrases. The work belongs to the Romantic period and is part of Spohr’s early concerto output that helped define his lyrical and virtuosic voice in the violin repertoire.

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Is this the right work?
MusicCoach difficulty
70/100
Advanced
Likely range : 58–82/100
Confidence : 35% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 7 to 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
41%
Among Louis Spohr
66%
Era Romantic
Genre
Estimated skills
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Style
Romantic style
2
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
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