Andrea Gabrieli's Ricercar del Primo Tono represents the transition from Renaissance vocal polyphony to early instrumental ricercars. It is characterized by its fluid, evolving lines and graceful imitation.
Focus on the independent articulation of each voice without relying on heavy sustain.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
1. Ricercar del Primo Tono is rated Henle level 4 of 9 — intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 5–6. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 7.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 4 — meaning you can already play level 3–4 pieces cleanly. Learning it one level early is possible as a stretch piece, but more than that usually leads to months of frustration.
A typical performance of 1. Ricercar del Primo Tono lasts about 5 minutes.
1. Ricercar del Primo Tono is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.
Pieces at a comparable difficulty and character include Prelude in C major by Johann Sebastian Bach, Gymnopédie No. 2 by Erik Satie, Ave Maria (The Bells of Rome) by Franz Liszt — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.