Topmusicanswers
What level is Arabesque No 1?
Re: Level of Arabesque No. 1 by Debussy. The Henle publishers rate Arabesque no. 1 as a grade 4 out of a total of 9 grades; 1 being the easiest and 9 being the most difficult.
How hard is Debussy Arabesque 1?
The first arabesque is slightly easier than the second, but requires some tricky polyrhythm (three-against-two) playing. The second is similar to a scherzo, meaning it's really fast and requires quite a bit of dexterity.
Is Arabesque hard to play?
1st Arabesque is I think easier to play note-wise compared to Dr Gradus but playing it properly requires a little more attention to expression. Averaging it out, they fall into about the same difficulty level when it comes to Debussy, so you should feel very comfortable learning it.
