Lee Eitzen’s piece is an introspective work focusing on themes of urban isolation and quiet longing. It features long, sustained melodies that require significant expressive control.
At Henle 4 this is an intermediate piece that expects secure technique and real attention to phrasing. The main demands: rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse; a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment; and chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others.
Focus on the use of rubato to convey the emotional weight of the long phrases.
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.
City Longing is rated Henle level 4 of 9 — intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 5–6. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 6.
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 City Longing lasts about 5 minutes.
City Longing 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 Body and Soul by Johnny Green, Prelude in E minor, No. 4 by Frédéric Chopin, Fantasy in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.