Antonio de la Cruz's 'El amanecer' is a lyrical, descriptive work aiming to capture the tranquility of dawn. It features sweeping broken-chord accompaniments that support a broad, cantabile melodic line.
At Henle 5 this is a late-intermediate piece — technically substantial, with musical demands to match. The main demands: a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment; sweeping arpeggio figures that must stay smooth across positions; and chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others.
Ensure the arpeggiated figures remain light and do not overpower the main theme.
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.
El amanecer (Op.164) 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 El amanecer (Op.164) lasts about 5 minutes.
El amanecer (Op.164) 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 El suspiro del moro by Antonio de la Cruz, Ballata by Antonio de la Cruz, Berceuse by Louis Moreau Gottschalk — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.