Charles Leslie Johnson was a prolific composer of popular salon waltzes; this piece reflects the high-society dance aesthetic of the early 1900s. It features sweeping arpeggiated figures and melodic patterns meant for expressive performance.
The main technical hurdle is integrating the waltz rhythm with expressive, subtle rubato in the melodic phrases.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Belle of Havana Waltzes is rated Henle level 4 of 9 — intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 5–6. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 5.
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.
A typical performance of Belle of Havana Waltzes lasts about 4 minutes.
Belle of Havana Waltzes 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 Butterflies Caprice by Charles Leslie Johnson, Butterflies by Charles Leslie Johnson, Blue Goose Rag by Charles Leslie Johnson — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.