This salon-style piece reflects the sentimental parlor music traditions of the early 20th century. It is musically distinctive for its lush, arpeggiated accompaniments supporting a simple, nostalgic melody.
At Henle 3 this is a late-beginner piece — comfortable hands-together playing is assumed, and musical shaping starts to matter. 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.
Beyond that, expect sweeping arpeggio figures that must stay smooth across positions.
Focus on balancing the melody against the flowing arpeggiated accompaniment in the left hand.
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.
Drifting 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 Drifting lasts about 3 minutes.
Drifting 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 Dream Waltz by William Conrad Polla, Clover Leaf Rag by William Conrad Polla, Black Sheep by William Conrad Polla — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.