Schubert's D.477, 'Alte Liebe rostet nie,' is a charming set of variations on a simple folk-like theme, exploring various moods from playful to lyrical. The piece demonstrates Schubert's gift for melodic invention and subtle harmonic color.
Mastering the clarity of the Alberti bass accompaniment while maintaining a beautiful legato melody is crucial.
Alte Liebe rostet nie (D.477) is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 6.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 5 — meaning you can already play level 4–5 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 Alte Liebe rostet nie (D.477) lasts about 3 minutes.
Alte Liebe rostet nie (D.477) is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.