Coiffeur de ces dames is a charming parlor-style piece reminiscent of the late 19th-century salon tradition. It is distinguished by its light, courtly rhythm and frequent playful ornaments.
At Henle 3 this is a late-beginner piece — comfortable hands-together playing is assumed, and musical shaping starts to matter. The main demands: precise articulation — the difference between crisp and blurred is the piece, and ornaments that need to sound effortless, not squeezed in.
The challenge lies in executing the grace notes and trills with lightness and period-appropriate style.
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.
Coiffeur de ces dames 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 Coiffeur de ces dames lasts about 2 minutes.
Coiffeur de ces dames 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 Conseils du vieux by Auguste Alteirac, The Entertainer by Scott Joplin, Bombom by Ernesto Nazareth — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.