Reviews

Albeniz allie la perfection des éléments folkloriques de son pays natal à un brio empreint de virtuosité, le tout lié intimement à une palette impressionnante. Désormais, tous les pianistes disposent d’un texte musical répondant aux critères d’une édition Urtext.
[Crescendo, 2006]

Henle punta l’attenzione su Albéniz e alla pubblicazione di Iberia, di cui però finora è uscito solo il primo fascicolo dei quattro, affianca quella di Chants d’Espagne op. 232, una raccolta di cinque composizioni dalla genesi piuttosto eterogenea. … Perduti gli autografi, le fonti principali sono la prima edizione, per i tipi Pujol di Barcellona, e una successiva per Unión Musical Española pubblicata dopo il 1914. Questa nuova Urtext, con un apparato critico che segnala le discordanze fra le diverse versioni, è curata da Ullrich Scheideler.
[Giornale della musica, 2005]

With a penchant for multi-stacked accidentals in key signatures and a tendency in faster movements to pile on the rapid passagework, Albéniz’s music certainly needs the most sympathetic and lucid of editions. Happily, this new volume, containing some of the composer’s most celebrated morceaux, satisfies in a way that earlier editions singularly failed to. … Henle’s editor, Ullrich Scheideler, is especially precise and lucid with regard to the possible conflicts and mistakes that have arisen down the generations in these works, whilst Rolf Koenen’s fingering for the most part is extremely balanced, uncontroversial and intelligent.
[Sheet Music, 2005]

The levels of difficulty of the
piano music published by G. Henle Publishers

The levels of difficulty of the piano music published by G. Henle Publishers

Guide to the levels of difficulty
"I don't know what 'difficult' means. Either you can play or you can't" – this was the rather terse comment by the great violinist Nathan Milstein, on being asked about the unbelievable difficulty of Niccolo Paganini's Caprice no. 1.

The relativity of the evaluation of difficulty in music immediately becomes clear. Yet I gladly take up this great challenge, presented to me by G. Henle Publishers. For I am aware of how useful a guide like this can be, both from my own experience as well as that of many colleagues. In particular so as to be able to identify "appropriate" works. For example for music teachers, who teach at very different levels, from beginners to those preparing for music conservatories, but also for all those interested amateurs for whom this guide is intended.

After careful deliberation I have settled on nine levels of difficulty, which I have divided into three groups: 1–3 (easy), 4–6 (medium), 7–9 (difficult). A number of parameters have been considered when assessing the level of difficulty. I have not just looked at the number of fast or slow notes to be played, or the chord sequences; of central importance are also the complexity of the piece's composition, its rhythmic complexities, the difficulty of reading the text for the first time, and last but not least, how easy or difficult it is to understand its musical structure. I have defined "piece" as being the musical unit of a sonata, or a single piece in a cycle, which is why Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier" Part I comprises a total of 48 levels of difficulty (each prelude and fugue is considered separately), Schumann's Sonata in f sharp minor op.11 only has a single number. My assessment is measured by the ability to prepare a piece for performance. 

While assessing the pieces, it became clear that the medium level of difficulty (4–6) is the trickiest. Now and again this means that a piece is judged as a "3/4", even if it only deserved a "3" as far as piano technique is concerned. An example of such a "borderline" case (easy/medium) is Schumann's "Scenes from Childhood" op. 15 Von fremden Ländern und Menschen or at the other end "6/7" part of Bach's "English Suites". And of course within a main category there are also "from-to" evaluations (e.g. 7/8).

Any evaluation of art or music will always be subjective, even if the aim was to be objective. Despite the fact that I have endeavoured to be as careful as possible, I am all too aware that the results of my work can be called into question, and am therefore grateful for any suggestions you might have.

Prof. Rolf Koenen © 2010