Identical in title and opus to the work by H.F.R. Brandts Buys, this composition reflects the same era's penchant for dreamy, accessible piano music. It is distinct for its harmonic warmth and clear, simple structure suitable for amateur performance.
The challenge lies in shaping the phrases with subtle dynamic shading rather than mechanical accents.
Ball-Traumerein (Op.4) is rated Henle level 3 of 9 — late beginner repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 4–5. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 3.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 3 — meaning you can already play level 2–3 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 Ball-Traumerein (Op.4) lasts about 3 minutes.
Ball-Traumerein (Op.4) is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.