Essay 2 is a modest waltz-style piece that experiments with simple rhythmic displacement. It is distinguished by its charming, lyrical melody set against a steady accompaniment.
At Henle 3 this is a late-beginner piece — comfortable hands-together playing is assumed, and musical shaping starts to matter. The main demands: a waltz lilt that needs charm and a flexible left hand; a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment; and chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others.
The challenge is balancing the weight of the left-hand bass notes against a light and graceful right-hand melody.
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.
Essay 2 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 Essay 2 lasts about 2 minutes.
Essay 2 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 Essay 5-2 by Cheston Rewly, Essay 3 by Cheston Rewly, Essay 1 by Cheston Rewly — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.