This piece from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book is a quintessential example of English keyboard polyphony. It is distinguished by its intricate imitative lines and idiomatic keyboard flourishes typical of the late Elizabethan period.
At Henle 5 this is a late-intermediate piece — technically substantial, with musical demands to match. The main demands: independent voices that must each sing on their own line; ornaments that need to sound effortless, not squeezed in; and precise articulation — the difference between crisp and blurred is the piece.
Beyond that, expect fine finger independence within the hand, and chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others.
The primary challenge lies in maintaining crisp, non-legato articulation across independent contrapuntal 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.
Fantasia, FVB 296 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 Fantasia, FVB 296 lasts about 3.5 minutes.
Fantasia, FVB 296 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, FVB 129 by Giles Farnaby, Bony sweet Robin, FVB 128 by Giles Farnaby, Fantasia, FVB 208 by Giles Farnaby — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.