A sophisticated exploration of the BACH theme characterized by elegant voice leading. It blends the structural severity of the fugue with Classical aesthetic sensibilities.
At Henle 7 this is a late-advanced work — the technical demands are serious and sustained. The main demands: independent voices that must each sing on their own line; fine finger independence within the hand; and chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others.
Beyond that, expect precise articulation — the difference between crisp and blurred is the piece, and ornaments that need to sound effortless, not squeezed in.
Careful attention to the independence of the voices during the stretto sections is required.
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.
Chromatic Fugue on BACH 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 Chromatic Fugue on BACH lasts about 5 minutes.
Chromatic Fugue on BACH 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 Chromatic Fugue on BACH, W.YA 50 by Johann Christian Bach, Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach, Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel by Johannes Brahms — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.