Grande fantaisie, op. 19
Romantic Fantasia Piano solo ~13 min
In brief

This Grande fantaisie unfolds an atmosphere that is alternately questioning and lyrical, with dramatic surges that alternate singing episodes and more agitated passages; there is often a chamber-like color and an organic unfolding of motifs. Technically, pay special attention to Tempo rubato (3.1/5) which requires precise control of flexible rhythm so as to preserve the melodic line without upsetting ensemble entries, and to the Pédale de sustain (3.1/5) where you must balance pedal use to keep inner voices clear while allowing harmonic resonance. The work belongs to the Romantic period and is part of Franck’s piano solo output that explores the free fantasy form and continuous thematic development.

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Is this the right work?
MusicCoach difficulty
75/100
Advanced
Likely range : 63–87/100
Confidence : 35% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 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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Relative difficulty
89%
Among César Franck
86%
Era Romantic
82%
Genre
Estimated skills
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Tone
Touch control
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
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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