Charles Mayer's work exhibits the refined, expressive style of mid-19th-century salon music. It focuses on singing melodies decorated by delicate, flowing passagework.
At Henle 4 this is an intermediate piece that expects secure technique and real attention to phrasing. The main demands: a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment; ornaments that need to sound effortless, not squeezed in; and rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse.
Beyond that, expect continuous sixteenth-note figuration that must ripple, not chatter.
Focus on balancing the melody against the accompaniment while executing the ornamentation with fluidity.
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.
Divertissement No.1 (Op.95) is rated Henle level 4 of 9 — intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 5–6. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 5.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 4 — meaning you can already play level 3–4 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 Divertissement No.1 (Op.95) lasts about 4 minutes.
Divertissement No.1 (Op.95) 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 Capriccio brillant by Charles Mayer, Arabesque No. 1 by Claude Debussy, Black Beauty by Duke Ellington — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.