Variations on 'Benedetta sia la madre' in E major, G.vi26
Romantic Variations Piano solo ~6 min
In brief

The piece alternates a vocal-origin theme and variations that shift between lyrical singing and more virtuosic passages, creating a theatrical, brightly colored character with rapid harmonic shifts. You will need to use the skill “Connaissance des formes (3.8/5)” to shape repeats and transitions between variations — here that means anticipating thematic returns and clearly articulating contrasting sections — and work on “Tempo rubato (3.1/5)” by managing small expressive fluctuations in the right hand while keeping a steady pulse in the left-hand accompaniment. The work belongs to the Romantic period and shows how Glinka adapts an operatic melody into his piano output, combining melodic gift with harmonic color.

MusicCoach difficulty
65/100
Advanced
Likely range : 53–77/100
Confidence : 35% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 7

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
72%
Among Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka
67%
Era Romantic
62%
Genre
Estimated skills
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Tone
Touch control
1
Pedaling
Half-pedalling
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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