Michael Haydn's 'Applicatio' is a didactic keyboard work from the Classical period, likely intended to develop technical proficiency and musical understanding. It features clear melodic lines and balanced phrasing, typical of the era.
Emphasize precise articulation and evenness of touch throughout the running passages.
Applicatio is rated Henle level 2 of 9 — beginner repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 2–3. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 3.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 2 — meaning you can already play level 1–2 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 Applicatio lasts about 2 minutes.
Applicatio is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.