Polonoise in E flat major, H.168, Wq.116, no. 2
Classical Piano solo ~2 min
In brief

This Polonaise feels ceremonial and dance-like, with a clear triple pulse and accents that give the piece a proud, forward-moving character rather than a purely ornamental one. The main challenges are Style classique (3.1/5) and Phrasing (2.5/5): you will need to keep articulation and voice-leading clean while shaping phrases with subtle agogic inflections and precise finger legato so repeated figures remain expressive rather than mechanical. The piece belongs to the Classical period and is part of C.P.E. Bach's keyboard output, which sits between baroque traditions and emerging classical practice.

MusicCoach difficulty
45/100
Intermediate
Likely range : 33–57/100
Confidence : 35% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 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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Relative difficulty
39%
Among Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
39%
Era Classical
Genre
Estimated skills
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