John Bull was a master of keyboard virtuosity, and this fantasia is noted for its daring harmonic language and complex passage work. It pushes the boundaries of early 17th-century keyboard composition.
At Henle 6 this is an advanced piece that assumes fluent technique and rewards mature interpretation. The main demands: independent voices that must each sing on their own line; ornaments that need to sound effortless, not squeezed in; and fast passage work that stays light and even at tempo.
Beyond that, expect fine finger independence within the hand.
Managing the rapid, irregular sixteenth-note patterns requires a high level of finger-independence.
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 38 is rated Henle level 6 of 9 — advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 7–8. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 9.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 6 — meaning you can already play level 5–6 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 38 lasts about 5 minutes.
Fantasia, FVB 38 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 108 by John Bull, Bonny Sweet Robin by John Bull, Fantasia and Fugue in A minor by Johann Sebastian Bach — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.