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Play — English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808: II. Allemande · Johann Sebastian Bach, Maria João Pires (the player loads on click)
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MusicCoach difficulty
75/100
Advanced
Level of the complete work
We have no level specific to this movement. The figure above is that of the complete work: within a cycle, movements often differ widely in demand.
Estimated skills
Technique
Fast passages
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Ornaments
Baroque ornaments
1
Style
Baroque style
1
Reading
Bass clef reading
1
Technique
Hand independence
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
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.
Gentle step
The safest next step.
Gentle
Suite, for harpsichord in A, TWV. 32:14
Georg Philipp Telemann
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Polyphonie à deux voix and Style baroque — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Gentle
Ordre 9 in A or A-
François Couperin
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Ornements romantiques and Style baroque — ornaments must be secure before the piece goes up to tempo, otherwise they break the line instead of decorating it.
Balanced step
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
Balanced
English Suite no. 3 in G minor, BWV.808
Johann Sebastian Bach
close skills
moderate risk
fair confidence
A real step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Passages rapides and Style baroque — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Balanced
Ordre 10 in D or D-
François Couperin
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Style baroque and Ornements baroque — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Ambitious challenge
A useful leap with guided practice.
Challenge
Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV.903
Johann Sebastian Bach
partial transfer
moderate risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. New compared with the previous piece: Croisements de mains and Analyse harmonique — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Challenge
Partita no. 6 in E minor, BWV.830
Johann Sebastian Bach
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. New compared with the previous piece: Balance mains and Style baroque — what matters is quality of attack and evenness of tone, not speed.
Same level
Same level
Toccata and fugue in D minor, BWV.565
Johann Sebastian Bach
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Staccato and Analyse harmonique — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Same level
Il secondo libro di toccate, canzone, versi d'hinni, Magnificat, gagliarde, correnti
Girolamo Frescobaldi
close skills
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, right at the edge of Intermediate (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM): different ground, same level. What changes is the skill in play: Analyse harmonique and Style baroque — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Same level
Fugue no. 14 en Fa Dièse Mineur, BWV.883
Johann Sebastian Bach
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Analyse harmonique and Voix chantante — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
The Allemande from English Suite No. 3 projects a restrained, slightly questioning character: regular phrases, an underlying pulse, and contrapuntal lines that require letting each voice breathe while maintaining a steady flow. Technically, you will face notably the Passages rapides (4.4/5), which call for even finger articulation and precise coordination between hands to keep the voices clear, and the Ornements baroque (4.1/5), demanding very crisp, compact appoggiaturas and mordents integrated into the tempo without disrupting the phrase. The piece belongs to the Baroque period and sits within Bach’s keyboard suite repertoire, where he applies dance forms to contrapuntal writing for keyboard. I do not provide a performance reference here out of caution.