This piece exemplifies the parlor-ballade style common in late 19th-century French music. It relies heavily on melodic elegance and standard harmonic progressions.
Focus on the clarity of the melodic line and keeping the accompaniment balanced and light.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Ballade is rated Henle level 4 of 9 — intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 5–6. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 6.
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.
Ballade 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 Capriccio agitato by Jules Cazenaud, Body and Soul by Johnny Green, Béatrice by André Messager — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.