This substantial work by Byrd reflects the height of late Renaissance keyboard composition, featuring intricate weaves of contrapuntal imitation. It stands as a profound example of the English Fantasia form.
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 continuous sixteenth-note figuration that must ripple, not chatter.
Beyond that, expect fine finger independence within the hand.
The piece demands exceptional endurance and control of finger-articulation to sustain the complex contrapuntal flow.
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, FWB CCLXI 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, FWB CCLXI lasts about 6 minutes.
Fantasia, FWB CCLXI 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 261 by William Byrd, Fantasia, BK 63 by William Byrd, Fantasia, FVB 103 by William Byrd — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.