William Vincent Wallace’s setting of this air is a virtuosic fantasia-style transcription common in the mid-19th century. It stands out for its elaborate decorative runs and expressive, operatic melodic treatment.
Students must execute the florid ornamentation with precision while keeping the underlying pulse steady.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
'Tis the Last Rose of Summer is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 8.
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 'Tis the Last Rose of Summer lasts about 6 minutes.
'Tis the Last Rose of Summer 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 Caprice héroïque by William Vincent Wallace, Ballade de 'Rigoletto' by William Vincent Wallace, Pavane pour une infante défunte by Maurice Ravel — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.