Description
Nocturne No.3 in B major closes the three nocturnes of Op.9, one of Chopin's early publications. It is the most virtuosic and dramatic of the three, showing a different face from No.2, the one known for its approachable melody. It goes beyond simple nocturnal atmosphere to demand genuine dramatic structure, and it is often performed.
In B major, a calmly singing main theme gives way to a turbulent, impassioned middle section before the theme returns. The contrast between the calm outer music and the middle section is the heart of the piece: the right-hand melody stretches and yields like a singer, while the left hand supports the harmony with broken chords spread over wide intervals.
It is rated advanced, and at over five minutes long, capturing that full range of contrast takes real expressive command. With 2,393 notes and a range from B1 to D♯7, it will not fit on a 61-key keyboard. Mark off the middle section with the A-B loop, slow the playback and check each hand's role with the hand colours before working on it. Switching to the score view lets you follow how the writing differs when the theme returns.
One of Chopin's signature genres — beautiful, lyrical piano pieces that evoke the stillness and poetry of the night.
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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.
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