Variations on a Theme of Mozart in E flat major, G.vi13
Romantic Variations Piano solo ~6 min
In brief

This set of variations on a Mozart theme unfolds with a poised, dance-like clarity that nevertheless contains brilliant flashes and more introspective pages; the focus is often on articulation and contrapuntal relief rather than expansive lyricism. Technically, you will need to rely on Connaissance des formes (3.8/5) to quickly recognize repeats and transformations of the theme so you can shape each variation with clear relaunches and cadences, and on Pédale de sustain (3.1/5) to control the sustain pedal — the concrete gesture here is short, precise pedaling, frequently using half-pedaling, to preserve inner lines without blurring the harmonic texture. The work belongs to the Romantic period and occupies a role as a pianistic concert piece reflecting Romantic admiration for Classical models rather than a large-scale symphonic statement.

MusicCoach difficulty
73/100
Advanced
Likely range : 61–85/100
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.

Does this rating look right to you?

This rating is computed automatically from heterogeneous sources. It gets things wrong, sometimes badly. If you know this work, your answer is worth more than our computation: it tells us which ratings to review.

Add a note (optional)

Your note is not published on the site: it is read in review.

Relative difficulty
87%
Among Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka
82%
Era Romantic
81%
Genre
Estimated skills
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Theory
Harmonic analysis
2
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
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.

See the whole progression