A charming example of the salon genre popular during the late 19th century. It features a tranquil, atmospheric texture designed to lull the listener with its harmonic warmth.
Focus on achieving a seamless legato in the right hand while keeping the chordal accompaniment soft and unobtrusive.
Berceuse No.1 (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 5.
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 Berceuse No.1 (Op.4) lasts about 3 minutes.
Berceuse No.1 (Op.4) is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.