Violin Sonata no. 4 in C major, op. 72: I. Allegro con spirito
Romantic Sonata Violin and Piano
In brief

The first movement is brisk and spirited with sudden rhythmic-harmonic thrusts that demand precise articulation and the ability to shift between lyrical passages and incisive figures without losing momentum. You will need to focus on Vibrato (3.6/5) to shade sustained melodic replies without turning the vibrato into a constant effect, and on Legato bowing (Legato d'archet, 3.6/5) which here requires careful bow distribution and arm weight control to connect phrases while preserving attack clarity. This sonata belongs to Reger's Romantic output for violin and piano, combining dense post-romantic harmony with classical sonata procedures. I do not provide a reference interpretation because I am not fully certain of a single widely recognized recording for this specific movement.

Formation

Violin and piano · 2 performers

Required forces
Violin 1 performers
Piano 1 performers
Playable parts
Violin Piano
MusicCoach difficulty
73/100
Advanced
Likely range : 66–81/100
Confidence : 42% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 8

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
82%
Among Max Reger
76%
Era Romantic
83%
Genre
Estimated skills
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Tone
Vibrato
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Theory
Harmonic analysis
2
Technique
Bow legato
2
Style
Romantic style
2
Fingering
Complex fingering
1
Technique
Legato
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Technique
Fast passages
2
Interpretation
Phrasing
1
Technique
High positions
1
Technique
General technique
2
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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