Formation
Cello and piano · 2 performers
Required forces
Cello
1 performers
Piano
1 performers
Playable parts
Cello
Piano
MusicCoach difficulty
60/100
Intermediate
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
Tone
Vibrato (cello)
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Technique
Bow legato (cello)
1
Technique
Position changes (cello)
1
Technique
Intonation (cello)
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Technique
Octaves
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
1
Style
Classical style
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
Cello Sonata no. 8 in E flat major, RV.39
Antonio Vivaldi
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
A short step up — but it is the one that moves you into Intermediate (around grade 5 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Style baroque and Ornements baroque — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Gentle
Variations concertantes, for cello and piano, op. 17
Felix Mendelssohn
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up — but it is the one that moves you into Intermediate (around grade 5 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Passages rapides and Connaissance des formes — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Balanced step
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
Balanced
Cello Sonata in A major, op. 104
Johann Nepomuk Hummel
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up: this piece moves you into Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Vibrato (violoncelle) and Legato d'archet (violoncelle) — what matters is a steady sustained tone: bow speed, contact point and pressure even, before any thought of speed.
Balanced
Cello Sonata no. 1 in B-flat major, op. 45: II. Andante
Felix Mendelssohn
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up: this piece moves you into Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Voix chantante and Connaissance des formes — the notes will be secure long before the musical line: work in whole phrases, singing the main voice.
Ambitious challenge
A useful leap with guided practice.
Challenge
Cello Sonata no. 1 in F major, op. 5 no. 1
Ludwig van Beethoven
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. The skill that will carry the work: Vibrato (violoncelle) and Connaissance des formes — what matters is a steady sustained tone: bow speed, contact point and pressure even, before any thought of speed.
Challenge
Cello Sonata no. 2 in G minor, op. 5 no. 2
Ludwig van Beethoven
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Intermediate (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. New compared with the previous piece: Passages rapides and Vibrato (violoncelle) — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Same level
Same level
Romance, for cello and piano, op. 69
Gabriel Fauré
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Elementary (around grade 5 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Voix chantante and Vibrato (violoncelle) — the notes will be secure long before the musical line: work in whole phrases, singing the main voice.
Same level
Lied ohne Worte, for cello and piano, op. 109
Felix Mendelssohn
close skills
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Elementary (around grade 5 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Voix chantante and Vibrato (violoncelle) — the notes will be secure long before the musical line: work in whole phrases, singing the main voice.
Same level
Intermezzo for Cello and Piano in A minor, EG115
Edvard Grieg
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Elementary (around grade 5 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Voix chantante and Doubles notes — the notes will be secure long before the musical line: work in whole phrases, singing the main voice.