MusicCoach difficulty
44/100
Elementary
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
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Style
Classical style
1
Tone
Touch control
1
Technique
Hand independence
1
Technique
Two-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
Keyboard Sonata in D minor, Hob.XVI:24
Franz Joseph Haydn
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Style classique — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Gentle
Organ Sonata in D major, Wq.70, no. 5
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Demi-pédale and Connaissance des formes — the pedal is set by ear, note by note: misjudged, it blurs the harmony instead of joining it.
Balanced step
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
Balanced
Keyboard Sonata in C major, Wq.90, no. 3, H.524
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Style classique — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Balanced
Organ Sonata in G minor, Wq.70, no. 6
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Style classique — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Ambitious challenge
A useful leap with guided practice.
No suggestion yet.
Same level
Same level
Polonaise in G minor, BWV.Anh.119
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
new reflexes
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Intermediate (around grade 5 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Rythmes pointés and Passages rapides — the pitfall is the pulse drifting as soon as the writing thickens: subdivide with the metronome.
Same level
Polonaise in G minor, BWV.Anh.125
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
new reflexes
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Intermediate (around grade 5 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Rythmes pointés and Passages rapides — the pitfall is the pulse drifting as soon as the writing thickens: subdivide with the metronome.
Same level
Rondo in D major, K.485
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, right at the edge of Elementary (around grade 5 ABRSM/RCM): different ground, same level. The skill that will carry the work: Style classique and Connaissance des formes — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
This Presto has a restless, driving character, with rapid figuration and abrupt phrase breaks that feel urgent and slightly agitated rather than exuberant. Technically, Analyse harmonique (3.6/5) matters here to anticipate shifting progressions and place harmonic emphases, and Contrôle du toucher (2.5/5) is required to produce crisp attacks and short, articulated strokes in the fast dotted and scalar passages. The movement sits within the composer's classical keyboard sonatas, where he experiments with rhythmic vitality and expressive freedom. I do not provide a specific recommended recording because I cannot state a precise reference with full confidence.