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.
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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The safest next step.
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A useful leap with guided practice.
This D minor sonata alternates between brisk, detached passages and contained bursts of intensity, with its expressive effect coming from sharp contrasts between rapid figures and more restrained sighs rather than long, sustained lament. Technically, pay close attention to Phrasing (2.5/5) — you will need to shape each answering line with subtle changes of emphasis and internal breaths so the melody sings — and to Half-pedaling (Demi-pédale, 2.5/5), which is used to keep articulation and ornaments clear without blurring the voices; this requires precise partial release of the pedal coordinated with finger motion. The work belongs to C. P. E. Bach's keyboard sonata output, catalogued under the Wq numbers, and sits among his many pieces for keyboard.