Circle II is part of a cycle of character pieces that utilize modern harmonic language with classical structures. It relies on a flowing accompaniment pattern to support a gentle, singable melody.
At Henle 3 this is a late-beginner piece — comfortable hands-together playing is assumed, and musical shaping starts to matter. The main demands: continuous sixteenth-note figuration that must ripple, not chatter; a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment; and rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse.
The primary challenge is balancing the melodic line against the flowing accompaniment to achieve a warm, cantabile tone.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
A level or two down with the same spirit — ideal if this piece is still out of reach.
Where this piece's skills lead: slightly harder works making similar technical demands.
Lesser-known works by the same hand, at a comparable level.
Circle IV 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 Circle IV lasts about 3 minutes.
Circle IV 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 Ballad by Kees Schoonenbeek, Bal Masqué by Kees Schoonenbeek, Circle II by Kees Schoonenbeek — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.