Originally composed for organ, this piece is frequently transcribed for solo piano due to its virtuosic demands and cascading melodic figurations. It is distinct for its orchestral sense of color and rapid-fire passage work.
The primary challenge is achieving complete clarity and evenness during the rapid scale-like passages.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Bell Scherzo (Op.89) is rated Henle level 7 of 9 — late advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grade 8 and above. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 9.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 7 — meaning you can already play level 6–7 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 Bell Scherzo (Op.89) lasts about 6 minutes.
Bell Scherzo (Op.89) 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 Bourrée fantasque by Emmanuel Chabrier, Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel by Johannes Brahms, Wanderer Fantasy in C major by Franz Schubert — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.