Nocturnes (Chopin) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Chopin nocturnes constitute 21 short pieces for solo piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

written by Frédéric Chopin

Frédéric Chopin

Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....

between 1827 and 1846. They are generally considered among the finest short solo works for the instrument and hold an important place in contemporary concert repertoire. Although Chopin did not invent the nocturne

Nocturne

A nocturne is usually a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night...

, he popularized and expanded on it, building on the form developed by Irish composer John Field

John Field (composer)

John Field was an Irish pianist, composer, and teacher. He was born in Dublin into a musical family, and received his early education there. The Fields soon moved to London, where Field studied under Muzio Clementi...

.

The nocturnes numbered 1 to 18 were published during his life, in twos or threes, in the order of composition. Numbers 19 and 20 were actually written first, prior to Chopin's departure from Poland, but published posthumously. Number 21 was not originally entitled "nocturne" at all, but since publication in 1870 as such, is generally included with publications and recordings of the set.

Chopin and Field

Chopin had a very interesting relationship with Field, practically all of it indirect. By the time of Chopin’s birth in 1810 Field was already an accomplished composer. Eventually, the young Chopin became a great admirer of Field, taking some influence from the Irish composer’s playing and composing technique.

It was almost irony that highlighted this relationship. In his youth, Chopin was often told that he sounded like Field, while later in time Field was described as sounding “Chopinesque.” The composer Friedrich Kalkbrenner

Friedrich Kalkbrenner

Friedrich Wilhelm Michael Kalkbrenner was a German pianist, composer, piano teacher and piano manufacturer who spent most of his life in England and France. Before the advent of Frédéric Chopin, Sigismond Thalberg and Franz Liszt, Kalkbrenner was by many considered to be the foremost pianist in...

, one of Chopin’s greatest influences and early teachers, once inquired as to whether Chopin was a student of Field. Another ironic facet was that while Chopin held Field in high respect and considered him one of his primary influences, Field had a rather negative view of Chopin’s work. It was even reported at one point that, upon meeting Chopin and hearing his nocturnes in 1832, Field described the composer as a “sickroom talent.” Nonetheless, Chopin still admired Field and his work and continued to take inspiration throughout his life.

“The Chopin Nocturne”

Chopin’s nocturnes carry many similarities with those of Field while at the same time retaining a distinct, unique sound of their own. One aspect of the nocturne that Chopin continued from Field is the use of a song-like melody in the right hand. This is one of the most if not the most important features to the nocturne as a whole. The use of the melody as vocals bestowed a greater emotional depth to the piece, drawing the listener in to a greater extent. Along with the right-hand melody, Chopin continued the use of another nocturne “necessity,” that of playing broken chords on the left hand to act as the rhythm under his right-handed “vocal” melody. Another technique used by Field and continued by Chopin was the more extensive use of the pedal

Sustain pedal

A sustain pedal or sustaining pedal is the most commonly used pedal in a modern piano. It is typically the rightmost of two or three pedals. When pressed, the sustain pedal "sustains" all the damped strings on the piano by moving all the dampers away from the strings and allowing them to vibrate...

. By using the pedal more, the music gains more emotional expression through sustained notes, giving the piece an aura of drama. With these main attributes of the “Field nocturne” Chopin was inspired, and expanded upon them to develop the “Chopin nocturne.”

One of the greatest innovations made by Chopin to the nocturne was his use of a more freely flowing rhythm, a technique based on the classical music style. Also, Chopin further developed the structure of the nocturne, taking inspiration from the Italian and French opera aria

Aria

An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...

s, as well as the sonata

Sonata

Sonata , in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to a cantata , a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era...

form. Composer Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...

even insisted that Chopin’s nocturnes were influenced by Vincenzo Bellini

Vincenzo Bellini

Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini was an Italian opera composer. His greatest works are I Capuleti ed i Montecchi , La sonnambula , Norma , Beatrice di Tenda , and I puritani...

’s “bel canto

Bel canto

Bel canto , along with a number of similar constructions , is an Italian opera term...

” arias, a statement affirmed and echoed by many in the music world. A further innovation of Chopin’s was his use of counterpoint

Counterpoint

In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...

to create tension

Tension (music)

In music, tension is the perceived need for relaxation or release created by a listener's expectations. For example, dissonance may give way to consonance...

in the nocturnes, a method that even further expanded the dramatic tone and feel of the piece itself. It was mainly through these themes of operatic influence, freer rhythms, and an expansion into more complex structures and melodic playing that Chopin made his mark on the nocturne. Many think of the “Chopin nocturne” as a mix between the form and structure of Field and the sound of Mozart, displaying a classic/romantic-influenced theme within the music.

Form

While meters and keys vary, the nocturnes are generally set in ternary form

Ternary form

Ternary form, sometimes called song form, is a three-part musical form, usually schematicized as A-B-A. The first and third parts are musically identical, or very nearly so, while the second part in some way provides a contrast with them...

(A-B-A), featuring a melancholy mood, and a clear melody floating over a left-hand accompaniment of arpeggios or broken chords. Repetitions of the main theme generally add increasingly ornate embellishments, notably in Opus 9 No. 2

Nocturnes Op. 9 (Chopin)

thumb|400px|The opening bars and main theme of No.1.The Nocturnes, Op. 9 are a set of three nocturnes written by Frédéric Chopin between 1830 and 1832 and dedicated to Madame Camille Pleyel. The work was published in 1833....

in E. From the 7th and 8th nocturnes onwards, Chopin published them in contrasting pairs, although each can stand alone as a complete work. Exceptions to the ternary form pattern include Opus 9 No. 2 and Op. 55 No. 2

Nocturnes Op. 55 (Chopin)

Nocturnes Op. 55 by Frédéric Chopin consisted of two nocturnes, his fifteenth and sixteenth, dedicated to his pupil Jane Stirling. The pair were composed between 1842 and 1844, and published in August 1844. -Nocturne in F minor, Op. 55, No. 1:...

in E, neither of which contain a contrasting section, Op. 15 No. 3 in binary form with a novel coda, and Op. 37 No. 2

Nocturnes Op. 37 (Chopin)

The Nocturnes, Op. 37 are a set of two nocturnes written and published by Frédéric Chopin in 1840, though it is thought that the Nocturne in G major, Op. 37, No. 2 was composed in 1839 around the time of his stay with author George Sand in Majorca...

in ABABA form.

The tempo marking of all but one of the nocturnes is a variation of Lento, Larghetto or Andante, the Allegretto of No. 3 breaking the mould.

Influence

When first published, Chopin’s nocturnes were met with mixed reactions from critics, though many of them were not in his favor. However, through the process of time, many who had initially been displeased with the nocturnes found themselves retracting previous criticisms, holding the short compositions in high respect.

While the popularity of individual nocturnes has varied considerably since Chopin's death, they have retained a significant position in the piano repertoire, with the Op. 9 No. 2 in E major and the Op. 27 No. 2 in D major perhaps the most enduringly popular.

Various composers from both Chopin’s lifetime and later have expressed their influence from his work with nocturnes. Such artists as Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms

Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...

and Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...

display similar melodic technique and style in their music as Chopin. Other composers such as Mendelssohn

Felix Mendelssohn

Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...

, Schumann

Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....

, and Liszt

Franz Liszt

described the genius that lay within Chopin’s nocturnes. It is clear that these short piano compositions made a noticeable and lasting impact on music and composition during the romantic period.

List of nocturnes

No.	Key	Opus	Published	Composed
1	B minor	Op. 9 No. 1	1833	1830–1832
2	E major	Op. 9 No. 2	1833	1830–1832
3	B major	Op. 9 No. 3	1833	1830–1832
4	F major	Op. 15 No. 1	1833	1830–1832
5	F major	Op. 15 No. 2	1833	1830–1832
6	G minor	Op. 15 No. 3	1833	1833
7	C minor	Op. 27 No. 1	1835	1835
8	D major	Op. 27 No. 2	1837	1835
9	B major	Op. 32 No. 1	1837	1837
10	A major	Op. 32 No. 2	1837	1837
11	G minor	Op. 37 No. 1	1840	1838
12	G major	Op. 37 No. 2	1840	1839
13	C minor	Op. 48 No. 1	1841	1841
14	F minor	Op. 48 No. 2	1841	1841
15	F minor	Op. 55 No. 1	1844	1842–1844
16	E major	Op. 55 No. 2	1844	1842–1844
17	B major	Op. 62 No. 1	1846	1846
18	E major	Op. 62 No. 2	1846	1846
19	E minor	Op. 72	1855	1827-29
20	C minor	Op. P 1 No. 16	1870	1830
21	C minor	Op. P 2 No. 8 Nocturne in C minor, Op. posth. (Chopin) The Nocturne in C minor, Op. posth. is a musical work for solo piano written by Frédéric Chopin. It was published posthumously but was actually one of the first nocturnes Chopin wrote, along with the Nocturne in C-sharp minor....	1870	1837