String instruments > Violin and Piano
Bedrich Smetana
From My Native Land - Two Duets for Violin and Piano
Editor: Milan Pospísil
Fingering: Michael Schneidt
Fingering and bowing for Violin: Ernst Schliephake
25.95 $
Urtext Edition, paperbound
Pages: 30 (V, 19, 6), Size 23,5 x 31,0 cm
Order no. HN 756 · ISMN M-2018-0756-0
“They are in a light style, intended more for use in the home than for concert performance”. Thus Smetana described these two duets in which he memorialised his Bohemian homeland. It is a fact, though scarcely believable, that Smetana had by this time already been deaf for two years. The pieces were popular from the outset: Smetana was able to demand a high price for them, and even to play off several aspiring publishers against each other. The duets are not technically over-demanding, and attract by means of their joyful character and powerful melodies.
« BackOrder this item now directly via our partner Hal Leonard»
Add to wish list »Added to wish list »
Contents
- From My Native Land - Two Duets for Violin and Piano
-
I Moderato
Level of difficulty (Violin): medium (Level 5)Other titles with this level of difficulty » -
II Andantino
Level of difficulty (Violin): medium (Level 6)Other titles with this level of difficulty »
The levels of difficulty of the
music for violin published by G. Henle Publishers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| easy | medium | difficult | ||||||
The levels of difficulty of the violin music published by G. Henle Publishers
| Level | Degree | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | easy | Beethoven, 6 German Dances WoO 42 |
| 2 | Beethoven, Rondo G major WoO 41 |
|
| 3 | Mozart, Violin Sonata F major KV 547 |
|
| 4 | medium | Haydn, Violin Concerto A major Hob. VIIa:3 |
| 5 | Bach, Violin Concerto a minor BWV 1041 |
|
| 6 | Brahms, Violin Sonata G major op. 78 |
|
| 7 | difficult | Paganini, No. 9 from Capricci op. 1 |
| 8 | Beethoven, Violin Concerto D major op. 61 |
|
| 9 | Berg, Violin Concerto |
I have assigned all of the violin music in G. Henle Publishers' catalogue a level of difficulty, ranging from "very easy" to "very difficult". The model for this was the evaluation system with nine levels developed for Henle's piano catalogue by Rolf Koenen. Unlike the works for solo piano, I have decided against evaluations that lie between two levels (e.g. 4/5 or 7/8).
This kind of attempt will always be "relative" to some degree. While the work remains the work, what is relative is the technical and musical ability of the player. Let us take a look at Mozart, for example, from the perspective of an Arthur Grumiaux and from that of a very young pupil. It is clear to whom my levels of difficulty are addressed: to the pupils or their teacher. I have, of course, always endeavoured to objectively assess the purely technical level of difficulty. But everything "between the lines" is, of course, left up to the judgement of each individual musician. Depending on our abilities, we perceive the "difficulty" of a work for violin differently, yet with the same conviction.
At the start, categorizing violin literature into levels of difficulty from 1 to 9 seemed to carry a certain risk as well as being unknown territory, yet I have now gained a deep insight into all of the works for violin in G. Henle Publishers' catalogue.
Ernst Schliephake © 2013

