Impromptu f minor op. post. 142,1 D 935
Impromptu Piano solo ~12 min
In brief

The piece has a dark, restless character, alternating striking, dramatic outbursts with more song-like episodes that require clear contrasts and sculpted phrasing. Technically, Phrasing (2.5/5) here asks the student to shape long melodic lines that extend across bar lines with careful dynamic gradations, and Legato (2.5/5) requires a connected touch between voices so the harmonies flow smoothly, calling for precise finger control and judicious pedal use. It is one of the Impromptus D.935 published posthumously (op. post. 142) and occupies a notable place among Schubert's piano miniatures.

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MusicCoach difficulty
67/100
Advanced
Likely range : 61–73/100
Confidence : 58% · fair confidence
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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Difficulty sources
Henle Verlag
5
50/100 normalised · 2 obs.
Henle Verlag
6
62/100 normalised · 2 obs.
Henle Verlag
7
74/100 normalised · 2 obs.
Henle Verlag
8
85/100 normalised · 2 obs.
Relative difficulty
81%
Among Franz Schubert
82%
Era
67%
Genre
Estimated skills
Technique
Legato
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
1
Technique
Trills
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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