A modest salon piece from the late 19th-century repertoire, this Berceuse serves as a quintessential lullaby. It is distinguished by a simple, folk-like melody that relies on subtle dynamic control to convey its character.
Focus on balancing the melody against the soft, repetitive left-hand pattern to ensure the harmonic foundation remains transparent.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Berceuse No.2 is rated Henle level 4 of 9 — intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 5–6. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 6.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 4 — meaning you can already play level 3–4 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.2 lasts about 3 minutes.
Berceuse No.2 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 Berceuse in A-flat major by W. Junker, Berceuse by W. Junker, An old miniature by William Baines — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.