A virtuosic character piece by the pianist-composer Ignaz Friedman, reflecting his affinity for rhythmic vitality. It demands high-level finger dexterity and a light, crisp touch to effectively communicate its playful spirit.
At Henle 6 this is an advanced piece that assumes fluent technique and rewards mature interpretation. The main demands: fast passage work that stays light and even at tempo; precise articulation — the difference between crisp and blurred is the piece; and fine finger independence within the hand.
The main technical hurdle is maintaining clarity and evenness in the rapid fingerwork.
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.
Elle danse (Op.10) is rated Henle level 6 of 9 — advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 7–8. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 8.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 6 — meaning you can already play level 5–6 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 Elle danse (Op.10) lasts about 3 minutes.
Elle danse (Op.10) 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 Choralvorspiel 'Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme' by Ignaz Friedman, 12 Variations on "Ah vous dirais-je, Maman" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Waltz in D-flat major, No. 1 by Frédéric Chopin — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.