6 Piano Variations on "Salve, tu Domine" K. 398 (416e)
Variations Piano solo 7 min
In brief

The set conveys a bright, often playful clarity: the sacred theme is stated plainly and each variation emphasizes rhythmic lightness and precise phrasing rather than overt drama. Technically you will need to rely especially on Analyse harmonique (3.8/5) — meaning you must quickly map the modulations and inner voices to choose fingerings that preserve counterpoint — and on Connaissance des formes (3.8/5) to separate theme, episodes and returns so you can shape continuity and contrast across variations. The piece belongs to the composer's body of keyboard variations and sits among his salon-sized and pedagogical classical works rather than his large-scale orchestral output. I do not give a reference recording because I am not certain of a single interpretation widely agreed as definitive for this work.

MusicCoach difficulty
57/100
Intermediate
Likely range : 47–67/100
Confidence : 54% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 6

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
6
62/100 normalised · 2 obs.
Relative difficulty
76%
Among Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
67%
Era
47%
Genre
Estimated skills
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Style
Classical style
1
Technique
Legato
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
2
Interpretation
Phrasing
2
What to play next?

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