Keyboard Suite in E minor, H.66, Wq.62, no. 12
Classical Suite Piano solo ~9 min
In brief

The Suite in E minor projects a taut, restless character, alternating pointed rhythmic figures with more songlike responses that call for contained tension rather than broad cantabile. Technically, the skill “Ornaments baroque (4.1/5)” requires clean, rapid execution of embellishments (trills and mordents) with precise fingering and short, decisive starts, while “Connaissance des formes (4.1/5)” (knowledge of forms) obliges you to shape each dance and repeat so the contrapuntal lines emerge through careful articulation and nuanced phrasing. The piece belongs to the early classical period yet clearly reflects the transitional language C. P. E. Bach developed from the baroque, treating the suite form with a more expressive, episodic approach. I do not provide a recommended recording because I cannot be certain of a specific authoritative interpreter for this particular work.

MusicCoach difficulty
70/100
Advanced
Likely range : 58–82/100
Confidence : 32% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 7 to 8

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
98%
Among Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
98%
Era Classical
88%
Genre
Estimated skills
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Ornaments
Baroque ornaments
1
Style
Baroque style
1
Style
Classical style
1
Tone
Touch control
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Technique
Three-or-more-voice polyphony
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