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.
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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This Nocturne No. 16 unfolds in a lyrical, contemplative mood, with delicate arpeggiated figures that produce a rocking motion beneath an almost speech-like melody. You will need to focus on Legato (4.4/5) — here that means securing seamless digital connections in the right hand and choosing fingerings that avoid breaks — and on Voiced melody (Voix chantante, 4.4/5), which requires projecting the melodic line by precise arm weight and accentuating the phrase against the accompaniment. The piece is from the Romantic period and is part of Field’s contributions that helped define the nocturne genre for piano. I do not provide a reference recording because I am not fully certain of a single widely recognized interpretation for this exact work.