Formation
Violin and piano · 2 performers
Required forces
Violin
1 performers
Piano
1 performers
Playable parts
Violin
Piano
MusicCoach difficulty
62/100
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
Knowledge of forms
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Technique
Bow legato
1
Tone
Vibrato
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Technique
Position changes
1
Technique
Intonation
1
Technique
Legato
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Technique
Fast passages
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
1
Technique
High positions
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 G major, op. 13
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.
Gentle
Violin Sonata no. 3 in E flat major, op. 12 no. 3
Ludwig van Beethoven
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Style classique and Rythmes pointés — 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
Violin Sonata no. 4 in A minor, op. 23
Ludwig van Beethoven
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in Intermediate (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Style classique and Legato d'archet — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Balanced
Violin Sonata no. 2 in A major, op. 100
Johannes Brahms
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in Intermediate (around grade 7 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. 1 in G major, op. 78
Johannes Brahms
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Advanced (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. 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.
Challenge
Violin Sonata no. 1 in A major, op. 13
Gabriel Fauré
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Advanced (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Vibrato — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Same level
Same level
Romance for violin and piano in E major, op. 46
Charles-Marie Widor
close skills
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Voix chantante and Ornements romantiques — the notes will be secure long before the musical line: work in whole phrases, singing the main voice.
Same level
Ballad in D minor, for violin and piano, B.139, op. 15, no. 1
Antonín Dvořák
close skills
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. 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.
Same level
2 Pieces for Violin and Piano
Ralph Vaughan Williams
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. 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.