This modern composition synthesizes the rhythmic patterns of a cakewalk with the structural rigor of a fugue. It is a highly cerebral work that blends disparate styles into a cohesive whole.
At Henle 5 this is a late-intermediate piece — technically substantial, with musical demands to match. The main demands: independent voices that must each sing on their own line; fast passage work that stays light and even at tempo; and fine finger independence within the hand.
Managing the dense, chromatic contrapuntal lines requires advanced finger independence and mental discipline.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
A level or two down with the same spirit — ideal if this piece is still out of reach.
Where this piece's skills lead: slightly harder works making similar technical demands.
Lesser-known works by the same hand, at a comparable level.
Chromatic Cakewalk and Fugue is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 8.
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 Chromatic Cakewalk and Fugue lasts about 4 minutes.
Chromatic Cakewalk and Fugue 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 Ballade and Fugue in D by Gary Bachlund, Chromatic Fugue in G minor by Gary Bachlund, Chorale Variations and Fugue on 'Men varföre gråta' by Gary Bachlund — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.