Description
The three nocturnes of Op. 9, written when Chopin was around twenty and published in 1832, are his first published works in the form. The nocturne itself was the invention of the Irish composer John Field; Chopin took it over and rebuilt it, above all in its ornamentation and harmony.
In B-flat minor and 6/4, the left hand keeps a widely spread accompaniment in continuous motion while the right sings above it. The melody changes its ornamentation on each return, altering shape as though improvised. The middle section opens into D-flat major, its harmony shifting within the quiet. The piece runs about four and a half minutes.
The task is to dissolve the fine ornaments into the line of the melody. The harder one tries to play them accurately, the more the tempo stalls and the song breaks. Treat ornaments as part of the melody, passed through on the way to the next note. And since the left hand travels widely, it must be held back so the volume does not rise with every leap.
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
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.
View all works by Chopin →