L'Auguste, polonaise in F major, H.122, Wq.117, no. 22
Classical Polonaise Piano solo ~2 min
In brief

This polonaise in F major feels dance-like yet tense, alternating hammered accents and dramatic returns that require asserting the procession while retaining rhythmic lightness. You will face notably passages of Octaves (4.3/5) which call for relaxed wrist and forearm gestures to maintain clarity and endurance without tension, and Rythmes pointés (4.3/5) which require precise articulation and subtle agogic control to emphasize the dotted figure without disturbing the pulse. The piece belongs to the composer's Classical-period output and reflects his movement between the galant style and a more inward expressivity within his keyboard works. I am not giving a recommended recording because I cannot state with certainty a specific authoritative performance for this piece.

MusicCoach difficulty
55/100
Intermediate
Likely range : 43–67/100
Confidence : 34% · 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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Relative difficulty
74%
Among Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
75%
Era Classical
46%
Genre
Estimated skills
Technique
Octaves
1
Technique
Fast passages
1
Rhythm
Dotted rhythms
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Style
Classical style
1
Technique
Legato
1
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