Piano Sonata (First Prussian) F major Wq 48,1
Sonata Piano solo ~16 min
In brief

This F major sonata feels lively yet transparent, alternating singing melodic lines with brisk passages where contrapuntal clarity must remain audible; the overall mood leans toward a slightly capricious rhythmic intent rather than sustained solemnity. Technically, the noted challenges are Phrasing (2.5/5) and Dynamics (2.5/5): phrasing here requires shaping long melodic lines through subtle lengthening and fingertip weight to allow motifs to breathe, and dynamics demand fine gradations controlled by fingertip pressure and arm support to avoid harsh contrasts. The piece belongs to C. P. E. Bach’s keyboard sonatas and is listed as the “First Prussian” in the Wq catalogue; the period is given as unknown in your data. I do not provide recommended recordings because I am not fully confident of a single definitive interpretation for this specific work.

MusicCoach difficulty
40/100
Elementary
Likely range : 35–46/100
Confidence : 55% · fair confidence
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 4 to 5

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
4
38/100 normalised
Relative difficulty
27%
Among Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
34%
Era
7%
Genre
Estimated skills
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.

See the whole progression