Franz Behr was a prolific composer of light salon piano music, and 'Cosette' is typical of his sentimental, melodic style. It is designed to be pleasant and emotionally accessible, focusing on a clear, song-like texture.
At Henle 2 this is a beginner-level piece, where steady coordination between the hands is the main hurdle. The main demands: a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment; careful pedaling — clarity depends on the foot as much as the fingers; and chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others.
Practice balance between the hands to ensure the melody is always projected over the harmonic accompaniment.
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.
Cosette 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 Cosette lasts about 3 minutes.
Cosette 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 Au Hameau by Franz Behr, Campagne du Natale Op. 30 by Franz Behr, Ballet des Papillons by Franz Behr — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.