MusicCoach difficulty
85/100
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
Reading
Alto and treble clef reading
1
Technique
Thumb position
1
Technique
Harmonics (cello)
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Technique
Three-or-more-voice polyphony
1
Technique
Double stops (cello)
1
Technique
Position changes (cello)
1
Technique
Stamina
1
Technique
General technique
1
Style
Baroque style
1
Ornaments
Baroque ornaments
1
Technique
Intonation (cello)
1
Reading
Bass clef reading
1
Tone
Touch control
1
Technique
Fast passages
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
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
Solo Cello Suite no. 2, op. 80
Benjamin Britten
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
A short step up — but it is the one that moves you into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). New compared with the previous piece: Style moderne et contemporain and Vibrato (violoncelle) — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Gentle
Solo Cello Suite no. 3, op. 87
Benjamin Britten
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
A short step up — but it is the one that moves you into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). New compared with the previous piece: Style moderne et contemporain and Vibrato (violoncelle) — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Balanced step
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
Balanced
Sonata for Solo Cello
György Ligeti
partial transfer
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up: this piece moves you into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). New compared with the previous piece: Legato d'archet (violoncelle) and Vibrato (violoncelle) — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Balanced
Cello Suite no. 6 in D major, BWV.1012
Johann Sebastian Bach
close skills
moderate risk
fair confidence
A real step up: this piece moves you into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). The skill that will carry the work: Position du pouce and Lecture clé d'ut et de sol — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Ambitious challenge
A useful leap with guided practice.
Challenge
Cello Concerto in B minor, op. 104
Antonín Dvořák
partial transfer
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. New compared with the previous piece: Vibrato (violoncelle) and Jeu d'ensemble — what matters is a steady sustained tone: bow speed, contact point and pressure even, before any thought of speed.
Challenge
Violoncello Sonata d minor
Claude Debussy
partial transfer
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. New compared with the previous piece: Analyse harmonique and Polyphonie à trois voix ou plus — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Same level
Same level
Cello Suite no. 5 in C minor, BWV.1011
Johann Sebastian Bach
close skills
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Analyse harmonique and Position du pouce — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Same level
Solo Cello Suite no. 1, op. 72
Benjamin Britten
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Style moderne et contemporain and Vibrato (violoncelle) — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.