MusicCoach difficulty
80/100
Master repertoire
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
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Ornaments
Romantic ornaments
1
Technique
Fast passages
1
Technique
General technique
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
Piano Sonata in E flat major, D.568, op. posth.122
Franz Schubert
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up — but it is the one that moves you into Advanced (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Style classique and Polyphonie à trois voix ou plus — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Gentle
Piano Sonata no. 7 in D major, op. 10 no. 3
Ludwig van Beethoven
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up — but it is the one that moves you into Advanced (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Balanced step
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
Balanced
Piano Sonata no. 16 in A minor, D.845, op. 42
Franz Schubert
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up: this piece moves you into Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Indépendance des mains and Connaissance des formes — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Balanced
Piano Sonata no. 27 in E minor, op. 90
Ludwig van Beethoven
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up: this piece moves you into Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Doubles notes and Demi-pédale — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Ambitious challenge
A useful leap with guided practice.
Challenge
Piano Sonata no. 1 in G minor, op. 45, "Tragica"
Edward MacDowell
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Passages rapides — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Challenge
Piano Sonata no. 2 in G minor, op. 50, "Eroica"
Edward MacDowell
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Passages rapides — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
This III. Largo con maestà has a solemn, restrained character, with broad chordal textures and pauses that call for a stately sustain rather than overt display. Technical challenges: Connaissance des formes (3.6/5) is important to shape the large sections and repeats — you will need to mark arrival points and transitions by controlling the melodic line and coordinating right- and left-hand supports; Tempo rubato (3.1/5) requires a measured sense of rhythmic flexibility, meaning small adjustments of wrist and arm to lengthen or shorten values without breaking the musical breath. In the Romantic period, this sonata reflects MacDowell's interest in dramatic sonata writing rather than radical formal experimentation. I do not provide a reference recording here because I am not completely certain of a single widely recognized interpretation for this exact movement.