This piece, often found in collections like Tchaikovsky's Album for the Young, Op. 39, is a charming character piece that showcases a warm, singing melody. Its appeal lies in its simple yet effective harmonic language and its accessible, flowing melodic lines.
Focus on achieving a smooth, legato melody with sensitive dynamic control and clear voice leading.
Blessed is He Who Smiles is rated Henle level 3 of 9 — late beginner repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 4–5. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 4.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 3 — meaning you can already play level 2–3 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 Blessed is He Who Smiles lasts about 3.5 minutes.
Blessed is He Who Smiles is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.