Levels of Difficulty
Jan Ladislav Dussek was probably the first pianist to sit facing the audience rather than turned away from it. In this way, the audience could see the dancing of his hands on the keyboard, and the piano has been an instrument of visual experience to this day. Since then, the piano has become an instrument that can also be experienced visually. A fascination with difficulty was soon born. The difficulty of the piano was taken to new heights by composers such as Beethoven and Hummel, and later Chopin and Liszt.
The same is true of the composer-pianists in which Felix Editions specialises. Because it can be difficult to estimate the difficulty of unfamiliar repertoire, we give each piece a difficulty level on its product page, ranging from 1 to 10.
Yet, how do these levels of difficulty compare to those of the well-known repertoire? To help you understand, here is a list of Beethoven's piano sonatas, Chopin and Liszt's etudes, Chopin's nocturnes and other works by these composers and Robert Schumann.
NB: The estimation of difficulty level is not an exact science and is a matter of personal preference. The list below is intended as a guide only.
The same is true of the composer-pianists in which Felix Editions specialises. Because it can be difficult to estimate the difficulty of unfamiliar repertoire, we give each piece a difficulty level on its product page, ranging from 1 to 10.
Yet, how do these levels of difficulty compare to those of the well-known repertoire? To help you understand, here is a list of Beethoven's piano sonatas, Chopin and Liszt's etudes, Chopin's nocturnes and other works by these composers and Robert Schumann.
NB: The estimation of difficulty level is not an exact science and is a matter of personal preference. The list below is intended as a guide only.
Browse by difficulty
Level 5
Beethoven
- Piano Sonata No. 19 in g, op. 49 no. 1
Chopin
- Nocturne No. 2 in E flat, op. 9 no. 2
- Nocturne No. 19 in e, op. 71 no. 1
- Nocturne No. 20 in c sharp, op. post.
Henselt
- Petites Valses
Wolff
- Chanson Polonaise
Level 6
Beethoven
- Piano Sonata No. 1 in f, op. 2 no. 1
- Piano Sonata No. 9 in E, op. 14 no. 1
- Piano Sonata No. 10 in G, op. 14 no. 2
- Piano Sonata No. 25 in G, op. 79
Chopin
- Nocturne No. 1 in b flat, op. 9 no. 1
- Nocturne No. 6 in g, op. 15 no. 3
- Nocturne No. 11 in g, op. 37 no. 1
- Etude op. 10 No. 6 In e flat
Liszt
Années de Pèlerinage. Première Année
- Eglogue
- Le Mal du Pays
Années de Pèlerinage. Deuxième Année
- Sposalizio
- Il Penseroso
- Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa
- Sonetto 47 del Petrarca
- Sonetto 123 del Petrarca
Liebesträme
- No. 1: Hohe Liebe
- No. 2: Gestorben war ich
Schumann
- Kinderszenen, op. 15
Henselt
- Etude op. 2 no. 11
Czerny
- Nocturne
Level 7
Beethoven
- Piano Sonata No. 5 in c, op. 10 no. 1
- Piano Sonata No. 6 in F, op. 10 no. 2
- Piano Sonata No. 11 in B flat, op. 22
- Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat, op. 26 (“Marche funèbre”)
Chopin
- Nocturne No. 9 in B, op. 32 no. 1
- Nocturne No. 10 in A flat, op. 32 no. 2
- Nocturne No. 12 in G, op. 37 no. 2
- Nocturne No. 14 in f sharp, op. 48 no. 2
- Nocturne No. 15 in f, op. 55 no. 1
- Etude op. 10 No. 3 In E
- Etude op. 10 No. 9 In f
- Etude op. 25 No. 7 In c sharp
- Trois Nouvelles Etudes No. 1 In f
- Trois Nouvelles Etudes No. 2 In A flat
- Trois Nouvelles Etudes No. 3 In D flat
- Fantaisie-Impromptu in c sharp, op. 66
- Polonaise in A, op. 40 no. 1
- Berceuse in D flat, op. 57
Liszt
Années de Pèlerinage. Deuxième Année. Supplément: Venezia e Napoli
- Canzone
Années de Pèlerinage. Troisième Année
- Angélus! Prière aux Anges Gardiens
- Aux Cypres de la Villa d’Este I: Thrénodie
- Aux Cypres de la Villa d’Este II: Thrénodie
- Sunt Lacrymae Rerum. En Mode Hongrois
- Marche Funèbre
- Sursum Corda
Schumann
- Waldszenen, op. 82
Henselt
- Etude op. 5 no. 5
- Etude op. 5 no. 8
- Impromptu No. 1
Czerny
- Sonnambula-Rondino
- Invitation à la Danse
- Divertissement en forme de Rondo
Litolff
- Tarantelle calabraise
Level 8
Beethoven
- Piano Sonata No. 2 in A, op. 2 no. 2
- Piano Sonata No. 3 in C, op. 2 no. 3
- Piano Sonata No. 8 in c, op. 13 (“Pathétique”)
- Piano Sonata No. 14 in c sharp, op. 27 no. 2 (“Moonlight”)
- Piano Sonata No. 15 in D, op. 28 (“Pastorale”)
- Piano Sonata No. 17 in d, op. 31 no. 2
- Piano Sonata No. 18 in E flat, op. 31 no. 3
- Piano Sonata No. 22 in F, op. 54
- Piano Sonata No. 24 in F sharp, op. 78 (“Für Thérèse”)
Chopin
- Nocturne No. 3 in B, op. 9 no. 3
- Nocturne No. 4 in F, op. 15 no. 1
- Nocturne No. 5 in F sharp, op. 15 no. 2
- Nocturne No. 7 in c sharp, op. 27 no. 1
- Nocturne No. 16 in E flat, op. 55 no. 2
- Nocturne No. 17 in B, op. 62 no. 1
- Nocturne No. 18 in E, op. 62 no. 2
- Etude op. 25 No. 1 In A flat
- Etude op. 25 No. 2 In f
- Etude op. 25 No. 3 In F
- Etude op. 25 No. 5 In e
- Impromptu No. 1 in A flat, op. 29
- Ballade No. 3 in A flat, op. 47
Liszt
Années de Pèlerinage. Première Année
- Chapelle de Guillaume Tell
- Au Lac de Wallenstadt
- Pastorale
- Les cloches de Genève: Nocturne
Années de Pèlerinage. Deuxième Année. Supplément: Venezia e Napoli
- Gondoliera
Etudes d’exécution transcendante
- Paysage (Etude No. 3 in F)
- Harmonies du Soir (Etude No. 11 in D flat)
Liebesträume
- No. 3: O lieb, so lang du lieben kannst
Schumann
- Papillons, op. 2
- Intermezzi, op. 4
- Faschingsschwank aus Wien, op. 26
Henselt
- Impromptu NO. 3
- Grande Valse
Czerny
- Charmant-Variationen
- Divertissement Brillant et Facile
- Rondo Militaire
Wolff
- Scherzo
Level 9
Beethoven
- Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat, op. 7
- Piano Sonata No. 7 in D, op. 10 no. 3
- Piano Sonata No. 13 in E flat, op. 27 no. 1
- Piano Sonata No. 16 in G, op. 31 no. 1
- Piano Sonata No. 21 in C, op. 53 (‘Waldstein”)
- Piano Sonata No. 23 in f, op. 57 (“Appassionata”)
- Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat, op. 81a (“Les Adieux”)
- Piano Sonata No. 27 in e, op. 90
- Piano Sonata No. 30 in E, op. 109
- Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat, op. 110
- Eroica Variations, op. 35
Chopin
- Nocturne No. 8 in D flat, op. 27 no. 2
- Nocturne No. 13 in c, op. 48 no. 1
- Etude op. 10 No. 4 In c sharp
- Etude op. 10 No. 5 In G flat
- Etude op. 10 No. 7 In C
- Etude op. 10 No. 8 In F
- Etude op. 10 No. 10 In A flat
- Etude op. 10 No. 11 In E flat
- Etude op. 10 No. 12 In c
- Etude op. 25 No. 4 In a
- Etude op. 25 No. 9 In G flat
- Etude op. 25 No. 12 In c
- Impromptu No. 2 in F sharp, op. 36
- Impromptu No. 3 in G flat, op. 51
- Ballade No. 1 in g, op. 23
- Ballade No. 2 in F, op. 38
- Scherzo No. 1 in b, op. 20
- Scherzo No. 2 in b flat, op. 31
- Scherzo No. 3 in c sharp, op. 39
- Polonaise in f sharp, op. 44
Liszt
Années de Pèlerinage. Première Année
- Au Bord d'une Source
Années de Pèlerinage. Deuxième Année
- Sonetto 104 del Petrarca
Années de Pèlerinage. Troisième Année
- Les Jeux d’Eaux à la Villa d’Este
Ballades
- Ballade No. 1 in D flat
Etudes d’exécution transcendante
- Preludio (Etude No. 1 in C)
- Vision (Etude No. 6 in g)
- Ricordanza (Etude No. 9 in A flat)
Légendes
- Légende No. 1: St. François d'Assise: La prédication aux oiseaux
Other works
- Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude
- Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
Schumann
- Davidsbündlertänze, op. 6
- Kreisleriana, op. 16
- Humoreske, op. 20
Henselt
- Poème d’Amour
- Impromptu No. 2
- Impromptu No. 4
Czerny
- Rondo précedé d’une Introduction
Litolff
- Scherzo
- Scherzo “Le Bacchanale”
- La Chasse
Level 10
Beethoven
- Piano Sonata No. 28 in A, op. 101
- Piano Sonata No. 29 in B flat, op. 106 (“Hammerklavier”)
- Piano Sonata No. 32 in c, op. 111
- Diabelli Variations, op. 120
Chopin
- Etude op. 10 No. 1 In C
- Etude op. 10 No. 2 In a
- Etude op. 25 No. 6 In g sharp
- Etude op. 25 No. 8 In D flat
- Etude op. 25 No. 10 In b
- Etude op. 25 No. 11 In a
- Ballade No. 4 in f, op. 52
- Scherzo No. 4 in E, op. 54
- Polonaise in A flat, op. 53
- Polonaise-Fantaisie, op. 61
- Piano Sonata No. 1 in c, op. 4
- Piano Sonata No. 2 in b flat, op. 35
- Piano Sonata No. 3 in b, op. 58
- Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise brillante in E flat, op. 22
- Fantaisie in f, op. 49
- Barcarolle in F sharp, op. 60
Liszt
Années de Pèlerinage. Première Année
- Orage
- Vallée d'Obermann
Années de Pèlerinage. Deuxième Année
- Après une Lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata
Années de Pèlerinage. Deuxième Année. Supplément: Venezia e Napoli
- Tarantella
Ballades
- Ballade No. 2 in b
Etudes d’exécution transcendante
- Fusées (Etude No. 2 in a)
- Mazeppa (Etude No. 4 in d)
- Feux Follets (Etude No. 5 in B flat)
- Eroica (Etude No. 7 in E flat)
- Wilde Jagd (Etude No. 8 in c)
- Appassionata (Etude No. 10 in f)
- Chasse-Neige (Etude No. 12 in b flat)
Légendes
- Légende No. 2: St. François de Paule marchant sur les flots
Other works
- Scherzo und Marsch
- Sonata in b
Schumann
- Piano Sonata No. 1 in f sharp, op. 11
- Piano Sonata No. 2 in g, op. 22
- Piano Sonata No. 3 in f, op. 14
- Toccata, op. 7
- Carnaval, op. 9
- Etudes Symphoniques, op. 13
- Fantasie in C, op. 17
Henselt
- Variations de Concert
- Etude op. 2 no. 6
- Ballade
Czerny
- Variations sur une Marche Anglaise
Litolff
- Scherzo de 4me Concerto Symphonique
- Les Octaves
- Grand Caprice
- Rhapsodie hongroise
Wolff
- Grand Allegro de Concert
- Grande Polonaise
- Bolero