This piece uses the swaying barcarolle rhythm to depict the sea. Its distinctiveness lies in its thick, romantic harmonies and the expressive, lingering melodic lines that require careful rubato.
Students should prioritize voicing the top melody while subduing the middle-range accompaniment.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
By The Sea is rated Henle level 3 of 9 — late beginner repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 4–5. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 4.
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 By The Sea lasts about 3 minutes.
By The Sea 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 'Neath Swinging Roses by Albert William Ketèlbey, Berceuse, H.8d by Frank Bridge, As estrelas by Oscar Lorenzo Fernández — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.