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Play — Goldberg Variations Complete (J.S. Bach BWV 988), with score, Kimiko Ishizaka piano · OpenGoldberg
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Play — Goldberg Variations, BWV 988: Aria · Johann Sebastian Bach, Henrik Måwe
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Sheet music
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MusicCoach difficulty
87/100
Master repertoire
Likely range : 80–94/100
Confidence : 78% · high confidence
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
On the syllabus: Grade 10
RCM
Official level, taken from the exam syllabus.
Other syllabi :
Trinity_London Grade 8 · RCM Grade 10
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.
Difficulty sources
Henle Verlag
9
95/100 normalised · 5 obs.
Henle Verlag
4
38/100 normalised · 2 obs.
ABRSM (syllabus)
Grade 10
86/100 normalised
Combined exam syllabi
Grade 10
86/100 normalised
Combined exam syllabi
Grade 8
76/100 normalised
Relative difficulty
100%
Among Johann Sebastian Bach
Estimated skills
Technique
Hand crossings
1
Technique
Three-or-more-voice polyphony
1
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Reading
Bass clef reading
1
Ornaments
Baroque ornaments
1
Technique
Hand independence
1
Technique
Fast passages
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.
Gentle step
The safest next step.
Balanced step
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
Balanced
Sonata in G major, K.470, L.304
Domenico Scarlatti
99/100
+12 pts
18-36 weeks
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Style baroque — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Balanced
Sonata in G major, K.471, L.82
Domenico Scarlatti
100/100
+13 pts
20-40 weeks
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Style baroque — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Ambitious challenge
A useful leap with guided practice.
Same level
Same level
Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV.582
Johann Sebastian Bach
86/100
same level
6-9 weeks
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Trilles and Analyse harmonique — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Same level
Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV.564
Johann Sebastian Bach
86/100
-1 pts
6-9 weeks
close skills
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Staccato and Analyse harmonique — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Same level
Sonata in C minor, K.526, L.456
Domenico Scarlatti
88/100
+1 pts
6-9 weeks
close skills
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Ornements romantiques and Connaissance des formes — ornaments must be secure before the piece goes up to tempo, otherwise they break the line instead of decorating it.
See the whole progression
This set of variations has a crystalline, sometimes playful character, shifting between song-like arias and sprightly dances that call for rhythmic precision and contrapuntal clarity. You will particularly need to manage Polyphony in three or more voices (4.8/5) by clearly articulating and balancing independent lines with precise finger control, and Hand Crossings (4.8/5) which here involve quick register exchanges and careful shaping when the hands overlap. A cornerstone of the Baroque keyboard repertoire, it stands as one of Bach’s major variation cycles built around a single aria. Notable reference recordings include those by Glenn Gould and Wanda Landowska.