Description
A nocturne Chopin is thought to have written in his late teens. It was not published in his lifetime; it appeared after his death as Op. 72, prepared by his friend Julian Fontana. The opus number was assigned posthumously, and the music is believed to predate the nocturnes of Op. 9.
In E minor and common time, the left hand keeps up triplet broken chords while the right sings quietly above. The harmony thickens in the middle section and the ornamentation increases, but the overall construction stays simple, as one expects of an early work. It lasts about three minutes and contains some 1,100 notes.
The intermediate rating reflects comparatively light technical demands — yet the fundamental problem of the nocturne is already here: keeping the left-hand triplets even while the right hand sings freely above them. Finish the left hand first, until it runs without attention, and then add the right. It makes a good stepping stone towards the later masterpieces.
One of Chopin's signature genres — beautiful, lyrical piano pieces that evoke the stillness and poetry of the night.
Browse all songs in Nocturnes →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
What this piece teaches
A nocturne in E minor thought to date from Chopin's late teens, published after his death. The left hand keeps up triplet broken chords while the right sings quietly above - the basic shape of the nocturne, with comparatively light technical demands.
How to practise it
- Finish the left-hand triplets first, until they run without attention. Loop the left hand alone at 0.5x.
- The left hand spreads its broken chords wide. Following the pedal indicators, change the pedal where the harmony changes.
- Once the right hand joins, keep the left a level below it, and listen that the melody is not buried.
About the Composer
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Frederic Chopin was born in Poland and made his career in Paris, remaining unusual among great composers for writing almost exclusively for piano. He poured his longing for his homeland into mazurkas and polonaises, while his ballades and etudes combine poetic melody with harmonic innovation. This site includes the "Revolutionary" and other etudes, Ballades No. 1 and No. 4, nocturnes, and the Preludes, Op. 28.
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