Frédéric Chopin
Nocturne 13
in C Minor, Op. 48 No. 1

Beginning in a mood of profound tragedy, this challenging Nocturne builds to powerful and passionate climaxes.

ID: 1022
Frédéric Chopin - Nocturnes:

Nocturne 13
Op. 48 No. 1

Key: C Minor
Year: 1842
Level: 8
Period: Early Romantic
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A Ballade in miniature

The famous Nocturne in c minor Op. 48 no. 1 is perhaps the grandest in scope of all the Nocturnes. More akin to a Ballade in miniature than a Nocturne, it builds its narrative on three main episodes. Beginning in a mood of profound tragedy, it presents a lonely cantilena, marked mezza voce, over a slow, funereal accompaniment. The second episode features a new theme in C major, built on consoling, chorale-like chords. The chords expand and become arpeggiated, and rising octaves interject with increasing insistence, building to a powerful climax. In the final episode, the opening material returns in a passionate re-exposition, now marked doppio movimento (twice as fast) and underlined by rapidly repeating chords. The piece ends with a diminuendo, finally stopping on three muffled chords, like the tolling of a distant bell.

The c minor Nocturne is one of the more technically difficult Nocturnes. The octave passages in the middle section, while not of Lisztian difficulty, are challenging, and the final episode requires a well-developed chord technique with good control over voicing.


Background

The two Nocturnes Op. 48 were written in 1841 and published in 1842.


Forum posts about this piece:

Chopin - Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1 by tox1234
Hello, this nocturne is my favorite piece and I would like to know if I could play it in my level. For refrence: I have played Fantaisie imp...

Chopin Nocturne Op 48 No.1 - should I play this? by lucasejp
I'm looking for my next piece, ideally it should not take me too long to learn. For context I am a grade 8 ABRSM level player and some o...

Chopin Nocturne in C minor Op 48 no 1 by emilia
Hi. I'm currently learning Chopin's Nocturne in C minor. I'm having trouble working out the exact timing of the broken chords in...

Chopin Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1 in C Minor by winsto7
Hey! I just wanted to get opinions on the Chopin Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1 in C Minor. Is it a piece that you guys suggest I learn?...

What do you learn by studying and playing Chopin's Etude op 10 no 3 "Tristesse"? by faa2010
Hi, I am learning Chopin's Etude op 10 no 3 since September (or July, I just can't remember when I began because I was also keeping...

Chopin or Tchaikovsky? by faa2010
Both pieces are wonderful, but I want to know which one is more difficult, technically speaking? Chopin's Nocturne op 48 no 1  ...

Learning Chopin Nocturne or Etude by thepianolad
I’ve been playing piano for quite a while now (9 years) and I want to improve my repertoire by an Etude or a harder Nocturne. The two that...

Chopin Nocturne op 48 no 1, taking off keys or arpeggios? by faa2010
'Hello, I am starting to learn the Nocturne op 48 no 1. The first part I can handle my fingers extension, although in come chords I ne...

LRSM pieces? by elis_piano
hi there, could you guys help me to choose a lrsm romantic piece by Chopin or Liszt? Just suggest something except the Chopin ballades. Also...

Practice Techniques for certain Repertoire? Should I 'relearn' music? by cheeriosok
Hello, I am a new poster and it took me weeks to figure out how to be a part of this forum as a silver member haha. About myself, I'...

Henle's difficulty levels & la campanella by elis_piano
Which level do you think La campanella is according to Henle's difficulty levels? My repertoire is: Chopin: nocturne op 48 n 1, etudes...

tips for chopin op 48 no 1 and op 10 no 4? by koakova
I'm playing Chopin Nocturne Op 48 No 1 and Chopin Etude Op 10 No 4, both of which I've heard are not very easy. I'm 14, and ...

University of Toronto Performance Program Audition Rep. by luch
Hi, this is my first time posting here so please forgive me for doing anything wrong. I'm aiming to audition for U of T's perform...

Chopin: Nocturne, op. 48/1 - Doppio movimento left hand by marijn1999
Hi guys, Today I started practicing two new pieces, one of which contains three movements (Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1, I'm gonna p...

chopin's nocturne in C minor, op. 48 by didi100
I've played piano for many years and am considered advanced, however, I'm having lots of difficulty with this piece and was wonder...

Chopin's Nocturne in C minor Op.48 by didi100
I've played piano for many years and play advanced pieces, however, i'm having a lot of problems with this piece, even practicing ...


Member's recordings of piece:

Chopin Nocturne Op 48 No 1 by lamagalula
Hi, welcome everyone here! I’m really looking for advice, I’m not professional pianist but in the past I had some lessons. Now after si...

Chopin Nocturne 48-1 by chrisjames
I'm pretty sure this is my first post, so hi!  :D EDIT: Ok.. not quite my first post it turns out... I recently uploaded my lates...

Chopin op 48 no 1 by faa2010
Greetings, I have another video with a piece I have been studying and working for a year.  I started to look the piece a year ago, but...

Chopin - Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1 by pianiststrongbad
I've worked on this piece throughout the past 6 months or so at different times. Practicing has become scarce as I am a new Dad, but I ...

Chopin Nocturne Op 48 No 1 (first section), Rachmaninoff Prelude Op 32 No 12 by ethanivo
Hi Everyone, I recorded them with my phone, thus the quality. Also there are erroneous notes. I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks fo...

Chopin Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1 VIDEO with narrative slide show by beethovenfan01
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLZTkOYawY4 Watch it, you'll see what I mean by narrative slide show. The Doppio Movimento is a bit messy, I&...

Chopin Nocturne in C-sharp Minor and others by beethovenfan01
Here are the other four pieces-- Chopin Nocturne in C-sharp Minor, Op. Posthumous Rachmaninoff Moment Musical No. 5, Op. 16 No. 5 Schuber...

Chopin - Nocturne op. 48 no. 1 by francoisfj
Hello, this is my take on this Chopin's nocturne, which is of my favourites. There are a lot of mistakes, and I know the doppio movieme...

Chopin Nocturne 13 in C Minor by pencilart3
ok ok there's a ton of mistakes who cares lol it was a request from a youtube comment ;D www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0M0sCwp4mE ...

Chopin Nocturne Op.48 No.1 by miken49
My recording of the very famous nocturne. [url=www.box.net/shared/tzn8zc3m33]www.box.net/shared/tzn8zc3m33[/url]...

Chopin Nocturne in C Minor, Op. 48. No. 1 by pmz310
enjoy!! mind the mistakes and harshness, i will post a better recording in the future...


Members who like this piece have also downloaded:

Nocturne in C Minor Op. 48 No. 1 by Frédéric Chopin. Sheet music and recordings of thousands of piano pieces by Frédéric Chopin and many other famous composers to view in your digital device, print out or listen to.
Nocturne in C Minor - Op. 48 No. 1 is a piece by the early romantic composer Frédéric Chopin.
The composition was first published in 1842 and is included in Nocturnes by Chopin.