Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV.718
Baroque Piano solo ~2 min
In brief

This Bach chorale unfolds with a solemn, contained intensity, alternating strong bass foundations and melodic lines that call for steady rhythmic support rather than overt lyricism. Technically, note the Reading in bass clef (Lecture clé de fa (3.1/5)) which requires quick recognition of low-line leaps and left-hand adjustments to keep the right hand free, and the Baroque ornaments (Ornements baroque (3.1/5)) which demand concise mordents and appoggiaturas executed with precise rhythmic control; the Baroque style (Style baroque (3.1/5)) also requires articulated attacks and very measured use of pedal. As a Baroque-period chorale, it belongs to Bach’s liturgical and pedagogical output where chorales function as contrapuntal and devotional core material.

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Is this the right work?
MusicCoach difficulty
46/100
Intermediate
Likely range : 34–58/100
Confidence : 38% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 5

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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Relative difficulty
37%
Among Johann Sebastian Bach
27%
Era Baroque
Genre
Estimated skills
Reading
Bass clef reading
1
Ornaments
Baroque ornaments
1
Style
Baroque style
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
1
Technique
Two-voice polyphony
1
What to play next?

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