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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Each suggestion combines difficulty gap, risk, confidence and skill overlap. The first two cards in each column are the most useful pedagogically.
The safest next step.
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
A useful leap with guided practice.
These Three Fugues present a tight contrapuntal tension with a Romantic expressiveness that alternates between nervous passages and more song-like episodes, as if the polyphonic argument constantly seeks emotional depth without giving itself over to pure melody. Technically, you will need to work the Tempo rubato (3.1/5) by managing small rhythmic flexibilities to let the lines breathe without upsetting the ensemble balance, and the Sustain pedal (Pédale de sustain, 3.1/5) which requires precise coordination of arm and foot to preserve voice clarity while enriching resonance; Touch control (Contrôle du toucher, 2.5/5) is also important to differentiate the musical layers. The work belongs to the Romantic period and shows the composer’s engagement with fugal form and counterpoint applied to solo piano rather than solely lyrical genres. I do not provide a reference interpretation here because I prefer not to risk naming a recording unless I am certain of it.