Suite Miniature, H. 192: VII. Moderato
Modern Suite Cello and Piano
In brief

This VII. Moderato has a measured, rhythmic character, almost dance-like, driven by clear polyphonic exchanges rather than expansive lyricism, with precise interplay between cello and piano. You will need to cope particularly with Doubles cordes (4.3/5) — here that means placing and balancing double-stops cleanly while keeping intonation and distributing the bow evenly — and Thumb position (Position du pouce, 4.3/5), which requires confident thumb shifts for higher-position passages and left-hand stability. The piece belongs to the modern period and is part of Martinů’s Suite Miniature, reflecting his preference for concise forms and contrapuntal clarity within his chamber output.

Formation

Cello and piano · 2 performers

Required forces
Cello 1 performers
Piano 1 performers
Playable parts
Cello Piano
MusicCoach difficulty
47/100
Intermediate
Likely range : 36–57/100
Confidence : 38% · 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
34%
Among Bohuslav Martinů
12%
Era Modern
5%
Genre
Estimated skills
Technique
Double stops (cello)
1
Technique
Thumb position
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Ornaments
Baroque ornaments
1
Style
Baroque style
1
Rhythm
Polyrhythm 2 against 3
1
Style
Modern and contemporary style
1
Technique
Position changes (cello)
2
Tone
Touch control
1
Technique
Double notes
1
Technique
Intonation (cello)
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
2
Rhythm
General rhythm
1
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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