Violin Concerto in E major, BWV.1042
Baroque Violin and Orchestra
In brief

This concerto feels bright and singing, shifting between lyrical solo lines and virtuosic figuration that require forward drive without affectation; the cadenzal moments carry a definite tension calling for clarity and momentum. You will notably face Ornements baroque (3.1/5), which here demand short, precisely timed appoggiaturas and trills placed on the beat, and Style baroque (3.1/5), which requires clear articulation and bow distribution — concretely this means responsive fingers and wrist for ornaments and a disciplined right hand for détaché and phrasing shaped by dance rhythms. The piece belongs to Bach’s baroque instrumental output and is one of his most frequently performed violin concertos, exemplifying his blending of solo melody with orchestral continuo. I have not cited a specific reference recording to avoid providing an uncertain or inaccurate recommendation.

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Is this the right work?
MusicCoach difficulty
69/100
Advanced
Likely range : 56–82/100
Confidence : 60% · fair confidence
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 7 to 8

Estimated from our difficulty score, not taken from an exam syllabus. Checked against 333 works on the ABRSM syllabus: the exact grade is right 7 times out of 10, and within one grade 99 times out of 100.

Difficulty estimate by MusicCoach on a scale of 1 to 100.

Where this work sits
050100

Most works cluster between 45 and 65: a small score gap often marks a real step. The highlighted bar shows this work among those for the same instrument.

The MusicCoach difficulty measures a work's overall demands (technique, reading, stamina) on a shared 0-100 scale, consolidated from editorial and pedagogical reference points (Henle, exam syllabuses, curation) and our own analyses. It measures neither musical value nor the practice time YOU will need: two musicians of the same level can experience the same work very differently depending on their strengths (hands used to octaves, quick sight-reading…). The confidence reflects how many reference points sit behind the score and how well they agree — a lightly documented score is flagged “to validate”. For a truly personal bearing, the diagnostic and your space compare each work to YOUR estimated level, which the score alone cannot do.

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Difficulty sources
Henle Verlag
6
62/100 normalised
Relative difficulty
66%
Among Johann Sebastian Bach
88%
Era Baroque
Genre
Estimated skills
Reading
Bass clef reading
1
Ornaments
Baroque ornaments
1
Style
Baroque style
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Technique
Two-voice polyphony
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.

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