Szymanowska was a pioneering Polish female virtuoso, and this fantasy serves as a prime example of early Romantic pianism in the style of Field. It features poignant, vocal-inspired melodies balanced against delicate, flowing accompaniments.
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; rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse; and ornaments that need to sound effortless, not squeezed in.
Beyond that, expect chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others, and continuous sixteenth-note figuration that must ripple, not chatter.
The challenge is to achieve a true bel canto tone while weaving in the intricate, ornamental melodic lines.
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.
Fantaisie Pour le Pianoforte 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 Fantaisie Pour le Pianoforte lasts about 6 minutes.
Fantaisie Pour le Pianoforte 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 Depature by Maria Agata Szymanowska, Divertissement in B-flat major by Maria Agata Szymanowska, Fantaisie in F major by Maria Agata Szymanowska — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.