Fantasy (Duobus subiectis) g minor BWV 917
Fantasia Piano solo
In brief

This Fantasy in G minor unfolds a rather improvisatory, rhapsodic mood, with contrasting episodes and dramatic pauses rather than a continuous lyrical line. Technically you will need to work on Contrôle du toucher (2.5/5) — here that means quickly shaping dynamics between ornamental figures and accompanying textures to bring out harmonic reliefs — and Polyphonie à deux voix (2.5/5), which requires clearly separating two simultaneous lines by articulation and hand balance. The piece belongs to Bach's keyboard repertoire as a free fantasia, with no specific period assigned, and reflects his interest in improvisatory forms that probe continuity and counterpoint.

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Sheet music

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MusicCoach difficulty
51/100
Intermediate
Likely range : 47–56/100
Confidence : 60% · fair confidence
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 5 to 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
5
50/100 normalised · 3 obs.
MusicCoach consensus
53.0
53/100 normalised
Relative difficulty
52%
Among Johann Sebastian Bach
56%
Era
21%
Genre
Estimated skills
Tone
Touch control
1
Technique
Legato
1
Technique
Two-voice polyphony
1
What to play next?

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