Schubert's D. 983 (Op. 17) consists of four exquisite songs, characterized by their profound emotional depth and masterful use of melody and harmony. They exemplify the art of the German Lied, with accompaniments that are integral to the expressive narrative.
Achieving Schubert's delicate balance between voice and piano, with expressive rubato, is key.
4 Gesänge (D.983) is rated Henle level 6 of 9 — advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 7–8. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 7.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 6 — meaning you can already play level 5–6 pieces cleanly. Learning it one level early is possible as a stretch piece, but more than that usually leads to months of frustration.
4 Gesänge (D.983) is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.