By Starlight is a simple, charming character piece meant to evoke a peaceful evening scene. It is musically notable for its transparent texture and reliance on delicate dynamic shadings.
The student must exercise control over the pedal to ensure the atmosphere remains clear and not muddied.
By Starlight is rated Henle level 2 of 9 — beginner repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 2–3. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 2.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 2 — meaning you can already play level 1–2 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 By Starlight lasts about 3 minutes.
By Starlight is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.