A late 19th-century salon work characterized by a flowing, sorrowful melodic contour. It stands out for its effective use of simple arpeggiated accompaniment to create a reflective atmosphere.
The primary challenge is to sustain the lyrical melody through the flowing eighth-note patterns in the left hand.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
'Tis lone on the waters 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 'Tis lone on the waters lasts about 4 minutes.
'Tis lone on the waters 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 'Break, break, break' by Alfred Humphries Pease, 'Sleep! Baby, sleep!' by Alfred Humphries Pease, 'My little love' by Alfred Humphries Pease — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.