BWV 906 is one of Bach's most virtuosic keyboard works, featuring a brilliant, idiomatic fantasia followed by a compact, rhythmically driven fugue. It is highly regarded for its rhythmic drive and harmonic audacity.
At Henle 7 this is a late-advanced work — the technical demands are serious and sustained. The main demands: independent voices that must each sing on their own line; fast passage work that stays light and even at tempo; and fine finger independence within the hand.
Beyond that, expect continuous sixteenth-note figuration that must ripple, not chatter, and precise articulation — the difference between crisp and blurred is the piece.
The rapid sixteenth-note passages require exceptional finger agility and precise articulation to remain crisp at speed.
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.
Fantasia and Fugue in C minor (BWV 906) is rated Henle level 7 of 9 — late advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grade 8 and above. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 10.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 7 — meaning you can already play level 6–7 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 Fantasia and Fugue in C minor (BWV 906) lasts about 5 minutes.
Fantasia and Fugue in C minor (BWV 906) 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 Fantasia and Fugue in A minor by Johann Sebastian Bach, Italian Concerto in F major by Johann Sebastian Bach, Concerto in C major by Johann Sebastian Bach — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.