Violin Sonata in C minor, Wq. 78, H. 514: II. Adagio ma non troppo
Classical Sonata Violin and Piano
In brief

The Adagio ma non troppo unfolds a restrained, intimate lament, alternating long, sustained phrases with moments of inward restraint that emphasize melodic contour over overt drama. Technically, you will need to focus on Vibrato (3.6/5) applied in a controlled, steady way to color sustained tones without overwhelming the line, and on Bow Legato (Legato d'archet, 3.6/5) to secure seamless connections through smooth arm motion and careful bow distribution. The piece belongs to C.P.E. Bach's classical-period output and reflects his interest in nuanced expressivity and subtle inflections within the violin-piano sonata genre.

Formation

Violin and piano · 2 performers

Required forces
Violin 1 performers
Piano 1 performers
Playable parts
Violin Piano
MusicCoach difficulty
47/100
Intermediate
Likely range : 40–55/100
Confidence : 42% · 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
24%
Among Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
46%
Era Classical
23%
Genre
Estimated skills
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Tone
Vibrato
1
Technique
Bow legato
2
Style
Classical style
1
Technique
Position changes
1
Technique
Intonation
2
Technique
Legato
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
2
Technique
General technique
1
Interpretation
Singing voice
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.

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