Formation
Violin and piano · 2 performers
Required forces
Violin
1 performers
Piano
1 performers
Playable parts
Violin
Piano
MusicCoach difficulty
79/100
Advanced
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
Interpretation
Phrasing
1
Tone
Vibrato
1
Technique
Position changes
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Technique
Fast passages
1
Style
Romantic 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
Violin Sonata no. 2 in E minor, op. 108
Gabriel Fauré
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Positions hautes and Connaissance des formes — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Gentle
Violin Sonata in B minor, P.110
Ottorino Respighi
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Positions hautes and Vibrato — 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
John Corigliano
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Vibrato and Legato d'archet — what matters is a steady sustained tone: bow speed, contact point and pressure even, before any thought of speed.
Balanced
Violin Sonata no. 2 in D minor, op. 121
Robert Schumann
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 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.
Ambitious challenge
A useful leap with guided practice.
Challenge
Violin Sonata in G minor, B.g5, "The Devil's Trill"
Giuseppe Tartini
close skills
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: Trilles et ornements (violon) and Style baroque — ornaments must be secure before the piece goes up to tempo, otherwise they break the line instead of decorating it.
Challenge
Sonata no. 2 for Solo Violin in A minor, BWV.1003
Johann Sebastian Bach
close skills
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: Intonation and Style baroque — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Same level
Same level
Three Preludes for Violin and Piano
George Gershwin
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Style moderne et contemporain and Intonation — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Same level
Valse-scherzo, for violin and orchestra in C major, op. 34
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Staccato — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Same level
Introduction et Rondo capriccioso, for violin and orchestra, op. 28
Camille Saint-Saëns
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. The skill that will carry the work: Technique générale — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.