A salon-style Romantic work by Ignace Leybach that blends the lyrical qualities of a ballade with virtuoso caprice elements. It is characterized by its florid melodic lines and flowing arpeggiated accompaniments typical of mid-19th century piano writing.
The primary challenge lies in maintaining a fluid, singing tone while navigating the rapid, decorative arpeggios that span across the registers.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Ballade Caprice No.2 (Op.136) is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 7.
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 Ballade Caprice No.2 (Op.136) lasts about 6 minutes.
Ballade Caprice No.2 (Op.136) 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 'Au printemps' de Gounod by Ignace Xavier Joseph Leybach, Boléro brillant No.1 by Ignace Xavier Joseph Leybach, Boléro brillant by Ignace Xavier Joseph Leybach — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.