Piano Sonata E major Hob. XVI:13
Sonata Piano solo
In brief

This E major sonata sounds bright and sprightly, with concise phrases that call for momentum and clarity more than prolonged romantic expression. Technically, the main challenges noted are Phrasing (2.5/5) and Dynamics (2.5/5): phrasing requires precise attacks and controlled releases to shape short melodic cells, while dynamics demand subtle volume control to highlight contrasts without blurring the line. In Haydn's catalogue it is a piano sonata (Hob. XVI:13), part of his keyboard works that favor formal clarity and thematic vivacity. I will not name a reference recording here because I am not fully certain of one or two widely recognized interpretations for this specific work.

MusicCoach difficulty
42/100
Elementary
Likely range : 34–51/100
Confidence : 55% · fair confidence
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 4 to 5

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
4
38/100 normalised · 6 obs.
Relative difficulty
42%
Among Franz Joseph Haydn
38%
Era
9%
Genre
Estimated skills
Tone
Hand balance
1
Technique
Legato
2
Interpretation
Dynamics
2
Interpretation
Phrasing
2
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