Cello Concerto no. 3 in C
Classical Cello and Orchestra
In brief

This Carl Stamitz concerto feels lively and galant, with brisk exchanges between soloist and orchestra and episodes that alternate singing lines with showy virtuosity. Technically, you will need to focus on Connaissance des formes (3.1/5), which here means identifying and shaping repeats, short cadenzas and orchestral answers to build coherent phrases, and on Indépendance des mains (2.5/5), which requires precise coordination of left-hand position shifts and fingerings with right-hand bow changes and articulations without breaking the line. As a Classical-period work, it belongs to the galant concertante repertoire of the late 18th century and showcases Stamitz’s role in writing melodic, soloistic pieces for public performance.

MusicCoach difficulty
60/100
Intermediate
Likely range : 48–72/100
Confidence : 35% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 6 to 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
50%
Among Carl Stamitz
66%
Era Classical
Genre
Estimated skills
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Style
Classical style
1
Technique
Hand independence
1
Technique
General technique
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.

See the whole progression