Rieding Dance of the Dragon Flies Op 20 for Violin and Piano

Rieding's Libellentanz ("Dance of the Dragonflies", Op. 20) is a lively Romantic miniature that sits well at ABRSM Grade 6/7: musical enough for a proper recital and practical enough to teach week to week. This edition is newly engraved for clean, rehearsal-ready reading.

At Grade 6/7, the piece makes three technical demands worth paying attention to. The off-the-string writing develops a light, springy bow without pushing speed for its own sake. The lyrical G-string passages ask for warmth, projection, and vibrato control in the lower register. The E-string writing takes the player into the upper register in a way that stays musical and secure rather than tense. Together, those demands make it a genuinely useful teaching piece: it builds real bow control and tonal range while feeling playful rather than punishing.

Published in 1904 — the year Rieding retired from a long career in Budapest and moved to Celje to focus on teaching and composing — Libellentanz belongs to a period that produced some of his most useful student repertoire. At six minutes, it's a well-proportioned recital choice: long enough to make an impression, short enough to stay focused all the way through.

See and hear the difference

Check the score preview images above, then watch the performance video. They'll give you a clear picture of the layout, the musical shape, and the level of challenge before you buy.

Key features

• Instrumentation: Violin and Piano
• Difficulty: approximately ABRSM Grade 6/7
• Duration: approximately 6 minutes
• Style focus: off-the-string bowing, G-string tone, upper-register confidence
• Format: PDF download, violin part and piano score

Who it's for

Suits a student preparing a Grade 6/7 examination recital or a solo for a school concert. It also works well as a weekly teaching piece for any intermediate player who needs to develop bow control, tonal colour, and upper-register confidence in music that stays engaging throughout.