This piece is a salon waltz composed by the Louisiana Creole musician Basile Barès during the late 19th century. It is distinctive for its charming, lighthearted melodic invention that reflects the popular dance music of the New Orleans social scene.
At Henle 4 this is an intermediate piece that expects secure technique and real attention to phrasing. The main demands: a waltz lilt that needs charm and a flexible left hand; rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse; and a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment.
Beyond that, expect sweeping arpeggio figures that must stay smooth across positions, and chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others.
The primary challenge is maintaining a consistent, graceful dance lilt while shaping the melody with expressive rubato.
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.
Exhibition Waltz (Op. 11) is rated Henle level 4 of 9 — intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 5–6. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 6.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 4 — meaning you can already play level 3–4 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 Exhibition Waltz (Op. 11) lasts about 4 minutes.
Exhibition Waltz (Op. 11) 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 Delphine by Basile Barès, Course, La by Basile Barès, Waltz No. 2 by Dmitri Shostakovich — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.