A period military-style quickstep piece designed for parlor performance during the mid-19th century. It features a simple melodic line supported by standard accompaniment patterns common to the era.
At Henle 2 this is a beginner-level piece, where steady coordination between the hands is the main hurdle. The main demands: Alberti-bass accompaniment kept quiet and even under the melody; precise articulation — the difference between crisp and blurred is the piece; and a left hand with real melodic or rhythmic responsibility of its own.
Ensure the steady pulse is maintained in the left hand to support the march character.
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.
Colonel May's Quickstep is rated Henle level 2 of 9 — beginner repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 2–3. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 3.
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 Colonel May's Quickstep lasts about 3 minutes.
Colonel May's Quickstep 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 Bouree by George Frideric Handel, Blumenwalzer by Léon Jessel, Au moulin by Ernest Gillet — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.