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Topic: Chopin Nocturnes easiest to hardest  (Read 269661 times)

Offline jorley

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Chopin Nocturnes easiest to hardest
on: April 10, 2012, 01:17:31 PM
Hi! I have seen so many threads with discussions about the order of difficulty of Chopin's Scherzi, Ballades, Etudes, Preludes etc. but I have never seen one about the Nocturnes. So, I wonder, how would you rank the Chopin Nocturnes from easiest to hardest?

Offline zezhyrule

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Re: Chopin Nocturnes easiest to hardest
Reply #1 on: April 10, 2012, 11:16:18 PM
Hardest: 48/1

And... Well the rest is relative  :P
Currently learning -

- Bach: P&F in F Minor (WTC 2)
- Chopin: Etude, Op. 25, No. 5
- Beethoven: Sonata, Op. 31, No. 3
- Scriabin: Two Poems, Op. 32
- Debussy: Prelude Bk II No. 3

Offline pytheamateur

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Re: Chopin Nocturnes easiest to hardest
Reply #2 on: April 11, 2012, 12:41:01 AM
If the hardest is Op 48 No1, then the easiest I think is also in C Minor: No 21, published posthumously.

On the easier side I think are Op 9 Nos 1& 2, the 2 G Minor ones, the F Minor one and Op 32, No1.
Beethoven - Sonata in C sharp minor, Op 27 No 12
Chopin - Fantasie Impromptu, Nocturn in C sharp minor, Op post
Brahms - Op 118, Nos 2 & 3

Offline turangalila

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Re: Chopin Nocturnes easiest to hardest
Reply #3 on: April 12, 2012, 04:13:03 PM
Here's how the difficulties are rated by Rolf Koenen for Henle:

4+ Nocturne c minor KK IVb no. 8
4+ Nocturne g minor op. 15 no. 3
5  Nocturne (version 1) c sharp minor KK IVa no. 16
5  Nocturne (version 2) c sharp minor KK IVa no. 16
5  Nocturne B major op. 32 no. 1
5  Nocturne e minor op. post. 72 no. 1
5  Nocturne g minor op. 37 no. 1
5+ Nocturne E flat major op. 9 no. 2
5+ Nocturne b flat minor op. 9 no. 1
5+ Nocturne f minor op. 55 no. 1
5+ Nocturne f sharp minor op. 48 no. 2
6  Nocturne A flat major op. 32 no. 2
6  Nocturne B major op. 62 no. 1
6  Nocturne D flat major op. 27 no. 2
6  Nocturne E flat major op. 55 no. 2
6  Nocturne E major op. 62 no. 2
6  Nocturne G major op. 37 no. 2
6  Nocturne c sharp minor op. 27 no. 1
6+ Nocturne B major op. 9 no. 3
6+ Nocturne F major op. 15 no. 1
7  Nocturne F sharp major op. 15 no. 2
7  Nocturne c minor op. 48 no. 1

Offline beebert

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Re: Chopin Nocturnes easiest to hardest
Reply #4 on: April 12, 2012, 07:51:57 PM
Having played many of the Nocturnes, this is how I would rank them, from hardest to easiest.

1. Op 48 1
2. Op 9 no 3
3. Op 15 no 2
4. Op 27 no 2
5. Op 62 no 1
6. Op 15 no 1
7. Op 27 no 1
8. Op 62 no 2
9. Op 37 no 2
10. Op 55 no 2
11. Op 32 no 2
12. Op 48 no 2
13. Op 9 no 1
14. Op 32 no 1
15. Op 55 no 1
16. Op 72 no 1
17. Op 9 no 2
18. Op 37 no 1
19. Op posth. C sharp minor
20. Op 15 no 3
21. Op posth. C minor

Offline williampiano

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Re: Chopin Nocturnes easiest to hardest
Reply #5 on: April 14, 2012, 07:21:00 AM
I often hear many people claim op. 48 no. 1 as the hardest, but I'm inclined to believe both the op. 62 nocturnes are more challenging. Anyone else think so?

Offline alsimon

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Re: Chopin Nocturnes easiest to hardest
Reply #6 on: April 14, 2012, 08:49:59 AM
Here's how the difficulties are rated by Rolf Koenen for Henle:

4+ Nocturne c minor KK IVb no. 8
4+ Nocturne g minor op. 15 no. 3
5  Nocturne (version 1) c sharp minor KK IVa no. 16
5  Nocturne (version 2) c sharp minor KK IVa no. 16
5  Nocturne B major op. 32 no. 1
5  Nocturne e minor op. post. 72 no. 1
5  Nocturne g minor op. 37 no. 1
5+ Nocturne E flat major op. 9 no. 2
5+ Nocturne b flat minor op. 9 no. 1
5+ Nocturne f minor op. 55 no. 1
5+ Nocturne f sharp minor op. 48 no. 2
6  Nocturne A flat major op. 32 no. 2
6  Nocturne B major op. 62 no. 1
6  Nocturne D flat major op. 27 no. 2
6  Nocturne E flat major op. 55 no. 2
6  Nocturne E major op. 62 no. 2
6  Nocturne G major op. 37 no. 2
6  Nocturne c sharp minor op. 27 no. 1
6+ Nocturne B major op. 9 no. 3
6+ Nocturne F major op. 15 no. 1
7  Nocturne F sharp major op. 15 no. 2
7  Nocturne c minor op. 48 no. 1


The Henle grades are quite different from ABRSM however. They are usually lower, for instance the c major Invention is grade 3 Henle, grade 5 ABRSM etc.

Offline chopinlover96

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Re: Chopin Nocturnes easiest to hardest
Reply #7 on: April 14, 2012, 08:55:37 AM
Beebert-Just out of interest which nocturnes gave you played and in wha order did you learn them??
Chopin-Waltz Op.42
Brahms-Intermezzo Op.118 No.2
Field-Sonata No.1
Beethoven-Sonata Op.14 No.1
Bach-Prelude and Fugue in B flat No.21 WTC 1

Offline beebert

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Re: Chopin Nocturnes easiest to hardest
Reply #8 on: April 14, 2012, 10:25:14 AM
williampiano, I have nothing against your opinion that op 62 ones are more challenging, but according to me the op 48/1 is the most challenging nocturne by far, and just as difficult as many of the Chopin Etudes.

chopinlover96, I have played Op 15 no 1, Op 15 no 3, Op 27 no 1, op 27 no 2, Op 32 no 2, Op 37 no 2, Op 48 no 1, Op 55 no 1, Op 62 no 1 and 2. I would not recommend learning them in the same order as I did though, I started out with op 27 no 1, and then I went on to Op 48 no 1. Even though it went well, It's is certainly strange to start with two of the hardest ones...

Offline iratior

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Re: Chopin Nocturnes easiest to hardest
Reply #9 on: April 14, 2012, 12:29:17 PM
I'll say opus 15 no. 3 is the hardest, just to irritate the people who may have thought -- wrongly -- that I couldn't possibly be playing any of the etudes, because of having listed opus 10 no. 5 as one of the hardest.  Oh, and while I"m at it, the hardest etude is opus 10 no. 6.

Offline turangalila

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Re: Chopin Nocturnes easiest to hardest
Reply #10 on: April 15, 2012, 01:50:34 AM
The Henle grades are quite different from ABRSM however.

Agreed. I was just trying to fulfill the original poster's request for a list from easiest to hardest, for which the absolute numbers do not matter.

Offline transitional

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Re: Chopin Nocturnes easiest to hardest
Reply #11 on: September 09, 2023, 09:22:08 PM
Here's how I would rank them, easiest to hardest (ABRSM scale). Take this with a grain of salt, they're just ideas as I haven't played all of them:

Grade 4:
Op. 55 No. 1

Grade 4.5:
Op. 15 No. 3

Grade 5:
Op. Post. Cm

Grade 5.5:
Op. 37 No. 1

Grade 6:
Op. 72 No. 1

Grade 6.5:
Op. Post. C#m

Grade 7:
Op. 9 No. 2
Op. 48 No. 2
Op. 32 No. 1

Grade 7.5:
Op. 9 No. 1
Op. 32 No. 2

Grade 8:
Op. 55 No. 2
Op. 37 No. 2
Op. 27 No. 2
Op. 15 No. 2

Grade 8.5:
Op. 9 No. 3
Op. 62 No. 2

ARSM/DipABRSM:
Op. 27 No. 1
Op. 48 No. 1
Op. 62 No. 1

LRSM:
Op. 15 No. 1
Advanced pianist and beginner composer. The Schubert sonatas are amazing and I want to learn all of them eventually!

Offline piabanoch

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Re: Chopin Nocturnes easiest to hardest
Reply #12 on: November 08, 2023, 02:38:52 PM
i think the hardest would be op 9 n 3, i think op 48 n 1 is not hard as most person think, but this is my opinion.
I can't control Music, but Music controls me
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