Nocturnes (Chopin)

Lore & Background

The young Chopin became a great admirer of Field, taking some influence from his playing and composing technique. In his youth, Chopin was often told that he sounded like Field, who in turn was later described as sounding 'Chopinesque'. While Chopin held Field in high respect, Field is sometimes said to have had a negative view of Chopin's work, with an anecdote—though not reliably documented—describing him as a 'sickroom talent'. Nonetheless, Chopin continued to take inspiration from Field throughout his life. Chopin's nocturnes carry many similarities with those of Field while retaining a distinct sound. One aspect Chopin continued from Field is the use of a song-like melody in the right hand, along with broken chords in the left hand and extensive use of the pedal. Chopin's innovations included a more freely flowing rhythm, further development of structure inspired by Italian and French opera arias and sonata form, and the use of counterpoint to create tension. Composer Franz Liszt insisted that Chopin's nocturnes were influenced by Vincenzo Bellini's bel canto arias, a statement affirmed by many.

Reader's Guide

Chopin's nocturnes, numbered 1 to 18, were published during his lifetime in twos or threes in order of composition. Numbers 19 and 20 were written first, prior to Chopin's departure from Poland, but published posthumously. When first published, the nocturnes received mixed reactions from critics, but over time many retracted their criticisms. The popularity of individual nocturnes has varied, with Op. 9 No. 2 in E♭ major and Op. 27 No. 2 in D♭ major among the most enduringly popular. Various composers from Chopin's lifetime and later, including Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Liszt, expressed influences from his nocturnes. The most important later composer of nocturnes was Gabriel Fauré, who greatly admired Chopin and composed thirteen works in this genre. Other later composers include Georges Bizet, Erik Satie, Alexander Scriabin, Francis Poulenc, Samuel Barber, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Lowell Liebermann.

Did You Know?

• Numbers 19 and 20 were written before Chopin left Poland but published after his death; Nocturne No. 21 was written after he left Poland.
• Number 21 bears the title 'Nocturne' on Chopin's manuscript.
• John Field, who developed the nocturne form, is sometimes said to have described Chopin as a 'sickroom talent', though this remark is not reliably documented.

Origins and Dedication

The collection carried a dedication to Madame Marie Pleyel, the prominent figure behind the celebrated Parisian piano firm, and it marked a significant milestone: this was the very first set of nocturnes Chopin ever had published. Though he would go on to write many more pieces in this intimate genre, Op. 9 established the template and public identity of his nocturne output. The composer was roughly twenty years old when he shaped the second nocturne, meaning these works emerged at the very start of his mature creative voice. The three pieces together span a remarkable range of character—from the restless rhythmic complexity of the B♭ minor opening to the serene, waltz-tinged E♭ major centerpiece and the dramatic chromaticism of the B major finale—giving listeners a compact portrait of a young man already thinking in distinctly Chopinesque terms.

The Rhythmic Architecture of Nocturne No. 1

Opening the set in B♭ minor, the first nocturne stretches across eighty-five measures in an expansive six-four meter, organized in ternary form. What immediately sets it apart is the interplay between hands: the left sustains an unbroken stream of eighth-note arpeggios from beginning to end, while the right hand roams with a freedom that would become a signature of Chopin's later output. In particular, the right-hand phrases occasionally lock into polyrhythmic groupings of seven, eleven, twenty, and twenty-two notes, creating a sense of rhythmic unpredictability against the steady left-hand pulse. The primary theme gives way to a secondary theme at measure nineteen, and a modified restatement of the opening material arrives at measure seventy. The contrasting middle section, though sharing the same key signature, eventually hands back to the opening material through a transitional passage in which the melody drifts above seventeen consecutive bars of D♭ major chords. The final reprise concludes with a Picardy third, lending a bright, unexpected close to the minor-key journey.

The E♭ Major Nocturne: Fame and Form

Often cited as Chopin's single most recognizable composition, the second nocturne in E♭ major is a compact thirty-four-measure gem in twelve-eight time, its structure echoing that of a waltz. The form follows a rounded binary pattern—A, A, B, A, B, A—capped by a brief coda. The piece opens with a quietly stated legato melody built on graceful upward leaps that grow progressively wider as the line unfolds. This melody returns three times, each appearance dressed in ever more elaborate trills and decorative tones, while a subordinate melody floats in with rubato. The accompaniment, made up of widely spaced notes linked by the damper pedal, gently underscores the waltz-like subdivision of twelve beats into four groups of three. In the penultimate bar, Chopin instructs the performer to play senza tempo, releasing the rhythm entirely. The nocturne's cultural footprint extends far beyond the concert hall: Taipei Metro plays it as the arrival melody for trains on the Songshan–Xindian line, and scholars such as John Rink, Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger, and Eleanor Bailie have devoted detailed analytical studies to its structural momentum and pedagogical challenges.

Drama and Virtuosity in Nocturne No. 3

Closing the Op. 9 set, the B major nocturne is structured in ternary form and marked Allegretto for its opening section. The main theme is chromatic in character yet suffused with what listeners often describe as a nostalgic energy. The contrasting middle section, marked Agitato and shifted to B minor, is the most dramatically charged moment in the entire set. Here the right hand must simultaneously carry a melody and a counter-melody while the left hand maintains continuous eighth-note arpeggios, a combination that demands a considerable degree of technical command. The piece is saturated with coloratura ornaments throughout both sections. It concludes with a small cadenza that echoes the closing gesture of the E♭ major nocturne: a wide chord in the left hand answered by right-hand triplets soaring in the high octave, followed by a final arpeggiated resolution back into B major. The result is a miniature drama that moves from wistful chromaticism to agitated virtuosity and back again, giving the three-nocturne set a sense of narrative arc.