Sterkel was a significant figure of the Mannheim school, and his keyboard music prefigures the transition from the harpsichord to the fortepiano. His fantasies are characterized by nimble scale runs and clear, Classical phrasing.
At Henle 5 this is a late-intermediate piece — technically substantial, with musical demands to match. The main demands: Alberti-bass accompaniment kept quiet and even under the melody; ornaments that need to sound effortless, not squeezed in; and precise articulation — the difference between crisp and blurred is the piece.
Focus on crystalline articulation and maintaining a steady pulse in the fast scalar passages.
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 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 lasts about 6 minutes.
Fantaisie 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 Divertissement in A minor by Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel, Fantaisie in A minor, StWV 226 by Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel, Divertissement in A minor, StWV 228 by Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.