Henri Herz was the quintessential salon composer of his day, famous for operatic fantasies and transcriptions. This piece adapts a popular cavatina into a showy piano solo.
At Henle 5 this is a late-intermediate piece — technically substantial, with musical demands to match. The main demands: ornaments that need to sound effortless, not squeezed in; fast passage work that stays light and even at tempo; and a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment.
Beyond that, expect careful pedaling — clarity depends on the foot as much as the fingers.
The performer must balance the florid operatic ornamentation with a steady, rhythmic pulse.
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.
Divertissement brillant No.2 sur une cavatine favori (Op.22) is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 7.
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 Divertissement brillant No.2 sur une cavatine favori (Op.22) lasts about 7 minutes.
Divertissement brillant No.2 sur une cavatine favori (Op.22) 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 Divertissement brillant No.2 sur une cavatine favorite by Henri Herz, Divertimento No.1 by Henri Herz, Californienne by Henri Herz — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.