A charming example of 19th-century salon music, this Berceuse reflects the Polish virtuoso tradition of Michałowski. It relies on a flowing accompaniment and a singing tone typical of the genre.
The student must maintain a consistent, rocking pulse in the left hand while shaping the lyrical melody in the right.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Berceuse (Op.1) is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 7.
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 Berceuse (Op.1) lasts about 3 minutes.
Berceuse (Op.1) 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 No.2 by Aleksander Michałowski, Ballade by Aleksander Michałowski, Berceuse No.1 by Aleksander Michałowski — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.