Piano Sonata
Sonata Piano solo ~16 min
In brief

This sonata projects a contrasting energy: biting, rhythmical passages alternate with more lyrical but angular episodes, requiring constant attention to articulation and changes of emphasis. Technically, the Analysis harmonique (3.6/5) here means swift harmonic progressions and modulations that you must map out to choose appropriate voicings and voice-leading, and Hand independence (Indépendance des mains, 2.5/5) requires clear separation of melodic lines and accompaniment when the left hand sustains an ostinato while the right plays syncopated figures. It belongs to the composer's solo piano output rather than his orchestral works, but the provided information does not allow precise dating within his career. No specific reference recording is given here out of caution.

MusicCoach difficulty
75/100
Advanced
Likely range : 63–87/100
Confidence : 38% · 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
88%
Among Malcolm Arnold
92%
Era
86%
Genre
Estimated skills
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Technique
Hand independence
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
1
Technique
Three-or-more-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.

See the whole progression