Part of a collection of character pieces, this etude explores expressive, storytelling qualities in a major key. It is designed to challenge the pianist's ability to create a vocal quality at the instrument.
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; chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others; and rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse.
Work on subtle dynamic control to bring out the nuances of the melodic narrative.
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.
Etude No.21 in B-flat major 'Story-telling Tune' is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 5.
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.
Etude No.21 in B-flat major 'Story-telling Tune' 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 Etude No.24 in D minor-'Hometown Hills' by Shuwen Zhang, Etude No.21 in B-flat major-'Story-telling Tone' by Shuwen Zhang, Etude No.2 in A minor "The Stream" by Shuwen Zhang — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.