Cry Baby's Waltz is a characteristic 19th-century salon piece by Charles Kinkel designed for the amateur market. It features a straightforward melodic structure typical of the sentimental parlor music of its era.
At Henle 2 this is a beginner-level piece, where steady coordination between the hands is the main hurdle. The main demands: a waltz lilt that needs charm and a flexible left hand; Alberti-bass accompaniment kept quiet and even under the melody; and a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment.
Beyond that, expect careful pedaling — clarity depends on the foot as much as the fingers.
Students must focus on keeping the bass notes light while maintaining a steady, lilting waltz pulse.
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.
Cry Baby's Waltz 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 Cry Baby's Waltz lasts about 3 minutes.
Cry Baby's Waltz 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 Chums Mazurka by Charles Kinkel, Cypress by Charles Kinkel, Cypress Polka by Charles Kinkel — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.