Formation
Violin and piano · 2 performers
Required forces
Violin
1 performers
Piano
1 performers
Playable parts
Violin
Piano
MusicCoach difficulty
63/100
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
Technique
Bow legato
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Tone
Vibrato
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Technique
Position changes
1
Technique
Legato
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
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
Violin Sonata in D major, D.384, op. posth.137, no. 1
Franz Schubert
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Legato d'archet and Analyse harmonique — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Gentle
Violin Sonata no. 1 in F major, op. 8
Edvard Grieg
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Legato d'archet 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
Violin Sonata no. 1 in A major, op. 9: II. Andante
Carl Nielsen
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in 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.
Balanced
Violin Sonata no. 2 in G major, op. 13
Edvard Grieg
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Legato d'archet and Connaissance des formes — 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
Violin Sonata no. 2 in A major, op. 100
Johannes Brahms
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap while staying in Intermediate (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. The skill that will carry the work: Legato d'archet and Connaissance des formes — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Challenge
Violin Sonata no. 4 in A minor, op. 23
Ludwig van Beethoven
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap while staying in Intermediate (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. New compared with the previous piece: Style classique and Intonation — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Same level
Same level
4 Romantic Pieces, for violin and piano, op. 75
Antonín Dvořák
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, right at the edge of Elementary (around grade 5 ABRSM/RCM): different ground, same level. What changes is the skill in play: Intonation and Vibrato — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Same level
Sérénade mélancolique, for violin and orchestra in B minor, op. 26
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Intermediate (around grade 5 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. The demand here is musical rather than mechanical: Tempo rubato — the pitfall is the pulse drifting as soon as the writing thickens: subdivide with the metronome.
Same level
Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré, for violin and piano
Maurice Ravel
close skills
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, right at the edge of Elementary (around grade 5 ABRSM/RCM): different ground, same level. What changes is the skill in play: Voix chantante and Vibrato — the notes will be secure long before the musical line: work in whole phrases, singing the main voice.