Eduardo Souto was a significant figure in Brazilian music, often blending popular and classical influences. This piece relies on an introspective harmonic language and expressive phrasing.
At Henle 3 this is a late-beginner piece — comfortable hands-together playing is assumed, and musical shaping starts to matter. The main demands: rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse; chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others; and a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment.
The primary challenge lies in executing the emotional shifts within the piece using careful pedal control.
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.
Como há de ser? 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 Como há de ser? lasts about 3 minutes.
Como há de ser? 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 Coincidências by Eduardo Souto, Chororó by Eduardo Souto, Borboletas azuis by Eduardo Souto — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.