Frédéric Chopin
Nocturne 2
in E-flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2
Chopin’s best-known Nocturne is intensely lyrical, with a gentle, exquisitely decorated melody.
Year: 1833
Period: Early Romantic
Piano score: PS Urtext 
Audiovisual Study Tool
Ear-caressing beauty
The E flat Nocturne, op. 9 no. 2 is a characteristic example of how Chopin delicately mixes ear-caressing beauty with hints of despair and melancholy. This Nocturne is composed of two themes that are repeated in what is known as a rounded binary form, or A-A-B-A-B-A. The themes become more elaborate each time they're played, with more trills, cadenzas and quick runs. Throughout the whole piece, Chopin uses the same kind of bass-chord accompaniment, forming a harmonically rich and stable foundation for the fluid melody. After the last occurrence of the "A" theme, there follows a coda which at first seems bound to end the piece in a peaceful way, but instead builds up to a great, passionate climax marked fortissimo. After an intense trill the calm is restored and the piece ends very quietly.Background
This Nocturne is the second in a set of three written between 1830 and 1832, when Chopin was about twenty years old. His pupil Wilhelm von Lenz recalls an amusing story: "I tormented Chopin most with the famous Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 9 - in 1842 it was in the full bloom of fashion - When Chopin was pleased with a scholar, he, with a small, well-sharpened pencil, made a cross under the composition. I had received one, in the Nocturne; next time I came, I got another. I came still another time. 'Do please let me alone,' said Chopin - 'there, you have another cross, more than three I never give. You cannot do it any better!' 'You play it so beautifully,' I ventured, 'can no one else?' 'Liszt can,' said Chopin, drily, and played it to me no more."Practice & Performance Tips:
The left hand provides the important foundation for the melody; without a flowing and balanced accompaniment, it is impossible to execute the cantabile line of the right hand beautifully. Play quickly enough to be able to feel four rather than twelve beats to every bar; this will help you shape the melody more naturally.Use graceful, flowing movements, and an elegantly flexible rubato, without ever losing sight of the underlying steady pulse. Finally find the correct balance between the hands: play the left hand softly enough to be able to make the right hand sing without using too much... Sign up for a Gold membership to read the practice tips.Forum posts about this piece:
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Is there any suggestion about piece i should play next? The piece i already completed : Liebestraum - 3 Nocturne 9-2
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Nocturne in E-flat Major Op. 9 No. 2 by the composer Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849). This piano piece was composed in 1833 and is part of Chopin's Nocturnes.