Chopin Nocturnes
Chopin wrote twenty one nocturnes. They are short piano pieces written between 1827 and 1846. Widely considered to be among the finest works for solo piano, they hold an important place in the contemporary concert repertoire. Nocturne Number 2 (Opus 9, Number 2, in Eb Major) and Nocturne Number 8 (Opus 27, Number 2, in Db Major) have been perhaps the most popular of Chopin's nocturnes.Although Chopin did not invent the nocturne form, he popularized and expanded on it, building on the form developed by Irish composer John Field. Not necessarily indicative of night time, nocturnes are suggestive of a lyrical and dreamy atmosphere. Typically, broken chords in the left hand support expressive melody in the right hand. His nocturnes are perhaps the most popular of Chopin's works.
Nocturnes 1, 2, and 3, also called the Opus 9 Nocturnes, are a set of three nocturnes written between 1830 and 1832, and dedicated to Madame Camille Pleyel. Chopin wrote Nocturne Number 2 (Opus 9, Number 2, in Eb Major) when he was about twenty years old, and like much of Chopin's music, it is tinged with melancholy.
Nocturne Number 4 (Opus 15 , Number 1, in F major) is the first of Chopin's three Opus-15 Nocturnes. It was composed in 1832, and has a simple ternary form (A-B-A). The first section in F major is marked Andante cantabile, while the second section in F minor is marked Con fuoco (fast and dramatic).
Nocturne Number 5 (Opus 15 , Number 2, in F# major) was composed in 1832. It is a technically challenging piece in A-B-A form.
Nocturne Number 6 (Opus 15 , Number 3, in G Minor), was written in 1833. Chopin originally entitled this nocturne At the Cemetery, but later he erased the title, saying: "Let them work it out for themselves."
Nocturne Number 7 (Opus 27 , Number 1, in C# Minor ) is the first of Chopin's two Opus-27 Nocturnes, which were both composed in 1835, and are often regarded as two of his the best pieces.
Nocturne Number 8 (Opus 27, Number 2, in Db major) was composed in 1835 and consists of variations on a single mood. The piece has been featured in popular culture, such as in the 1977 movie The Spy Who Loved Me, the 1998 Russian movie The Barber of Siberia, and the online-comic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.
Nocturne Number 9 (Opus 32, Number 1, in B major) was composed in 1837. There has been some confusion over a key in the first bar of the last line: Theodor Kullak and Karl Klindworth use a G, while Julian Fontana uses an F-sharp.
Nocturne Number 10 (Opus 32, Number 2, in Ab major) was composed in 1837. Alexander Glazunov's orchestral version of this nocturne (as well as several other Chopin works) is used in the 1909 ballet Les Sylphides (choreographed by Michel Fokine).
Nocturne Number 11 (Opus 37, Number 1, in G Minor) is one of the simpler nocturnes. There seems to be an allusion to religion in the middle section.
Nocturne Number 12 (Opus 37, Number 2, in G major) was composed in 1839. It is widely considered one of the most beautiful of Chopin's melodies.
Nocturne Number 13 (Opus 48, Number 1, in C Minor), written in 1841, is an emotional piece whose main subject is a powerful expression of deep grief.
Nocturne Number 14 (Op 48, No. 2, in F# Minor) is less passionate than Number 14. Chopin once noted that the middle section was like a recitative and should be played as if "a tyrant commands, and the other asks for mercy."
With regard to Nocturne Number 15 (Opus 55, Number 1, in F Minor), Chopin biographer Frederick Niecks said that the melody has a "bittersweet tang", and that the work is "an effective entry-level piece for those players and listeners seeking a clear glimpse of the composer's basic style."
In Nocturne Number 16 (Opus 55, Number 2, in Eb Major), Chopin emphasized the essence of the nocturne genre by using a continuously developing melodic strand that mimics one's own inner stream of consciousness.
Nocturne Number 17 (Opus 62, Number 1, in B major), published in 1846, is a haunting piece, full of mystery. It has been given the name of an exotic greenhouse flower ‘Tuberose’, because, in the words of American critic James Huneker: ‘the chief tune has charm, a fruity charm’, and its return in the reprise ‘is faint with a sick, rich odor’.
Nocturne Number 18 (Opus 62, Number 2, in E major) was published in 1846 and was the last nocturne published during Chopin's lifetime. A reflective piece with contrapuntal richness, its coda suggests that Chopin was reluctant to let go, almost as if he guessed this would be his last nocturne.
Nocturne Number 19 (Opus 72, Number 1, in E minor), was written in 1827. The composition features an unbroken line of quaver triplets in the left hand set against a slow melody of minims, crotches, quaver duplets and triplets.
Nocturne Number 20 (Opus Posthumous Nocturne, in C# Minor) was composed by Chopin in 1830. It is featured in the Roman Polanski film The Pianist (2002), and in the film The Karate Kid (2010) starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. Alicia Keys samples the piece in her 2007 album As I Am.
Nocturne Number 21 (Opus Posthumous Nocturne, in C Minor) is a beautiful melancholic piece composed by Chopin in 1837.
Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849), who wrote mostly for solo piano, is generally considered to be one of the great masters of Romantic music. His work, often sounding like spontaneous improvisation, is characterized by beautiful rhythmic melodies expressive of heart-felt emotion.
Re Chopin's Fingering Link
Tutorials
Nocturne 1 (Op. 9, Number 1 in Bb Minor)
Nocturne 2 (Op. 9, No. 2, in Eb Major)
Right Hand Left Hand Both Hands
Nocturne 4 (Op. 15, No. 1 in F Major)
Nocturne 5 (Op. 15, No. 2 in F# Major)
Nocturne 7 (Op. 27 , No. 1, in C# Minor)
Nocturne 8 (Op. 27, No. 2, in Db Major) Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Nocturne 9 (Op. 32, No. 1, in B Major)
Nocturne 10 (Op. 32, No. 2, in Ab Major )
Nocturne 11 (Op. 37, No. 1, in G Minor )
Nocturne 13 (Op. 48, No. 1 in C Minor)
Nocturne 13 Slow added score 2022 Extra slow with score
Nocturne 14 (Op. 48, No. 2 in F# Minor)
with score Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Nocturne 15 (Op. 55, No. 1 in F Minor)
Nocturne 16 (Op. 55, No.2 in E-flat Major)
Nocturne 17 (Op. 62, No. 1)
Nocturne 18 (Op. 62, No. 2)
Nocturne 19 (Op. Posthumous 72, No. 1 in E Minor)
Nocturne 20 (Op. Posthumous B.49 in C# Minor) Nocturne 20 with Score on Top
B.49 was played in the movie The Pianist
Nocturne 21 (Op. Posthumous B.108 in C Minor) Nocturne 21 with Score on Top
Sheetmusic
Op. 9/2 and 55/1 Also in book Masterpieces of Piano Music
imslp.org has public domain copies of most
