Frédéric Chopin
Nocturnes

About Frédéric Chopin's Nocturnes

The Nocturnes span the whole of Chopin’s career, and among them are some of the composer’s most beloved works, such as the infinitely tender and graceful Op. 9 No. 2 in E-flat. But they can also be viewed as a sort of experiment chamber, where Chopin, so to speak in the obscurity of the dark, tries out some of his most daring harmonic and formal inventions.
Mention is often made of the influence on Chopin of the Irishman John Field, generally credited as the father of the nocturne. While there is no doubt that links exist between the two, it’s also certain that Chopin’s temperament was quite different from that of his predecessor, as was the range of his modes of expression.
Liszt wrote:
“Chopin, in his poetic Nocturnes, sang not only the harmonies which are the source of our most ineffable delights, but likewise the restless, agitating bewilderment to which they often give rise”.

ID:81
Preview TitleKey Year Level
Nocturne 1 Op. 9 No. 1  in B-flat Minor by Chopin piano sheet music AAB Nocturne 1 Op. 9 No. 134 B-flat Minor 1833 8
Nocturne 2 Op. 9 No. 2  in E-flat Major by Chopin piano sheet music AAC Nocturne 2 Op. 9 No. 211 E-flat Major 1833 7
Nocturne 3 Op. 9 No. 3  in B Major by Chopin piano sheet music AAD Nocturne 3 Op. 9 No. 335 B Major 1833 7
Nocturne 4 Op. 15 No. 1  in F Major by Chopin piano sheet music AAE Nocturne 4 Op. 15 No. 117 F Major 1834 8
Nocturne 5 Op. 15 No. 2  in F-sharp Major by Chopin piano sheet music AAF Nocturne 5 Op. 15 No. 219 F-sharp Major 1834 7
Nocturne 6 Op. 15 No. 3  in G Minor by Chopin piano sheet music AAG Nocturne 6 Op. 15 No. 324 G Minor 1834 7
Nocturne 7 Op. 27 No. 1  in C-sharp Minor by Chopin piano sheet music AAH Nocturne 7 Op. 27 No. 15 C-sharp Minor 1836 8
Nocturne 8 Op. 27 No. 2  in D-flat Major by Chopin piano sheet music AAI Nocturne 8 Op. 27 No. 26 D-flat Major 1836 8
Nocturne 9 Op. 32 No. 1  in B Major by Chopin piano sheet music AAJ Nocturne 9 Op. 32 No. 135 B Major 1837 8
Nocturne 10 Op. 32 No. 2  in A-flat Major by Chopin piano sheet music AAK Nocturne 10 Op. 32 No. 227 A-flat Major 1837 7
Nocturne 11 Op. 37 No. 1  in G Minor by Chopin piano sheet music AAL Nocturne 11 Op. 37 No. 124 G Minor 1840 7
Nocturne 12 Op. 37 No. 2  in G Major by Chopin piano sheet music AAM Nocturne 12 Op. 37 No. 223 G Major 1840 7
Nocturne 13 Op. 48 No. 1  in C Minor by Chopin piano sheet music AAN Nocturne 13 Op. 48 No. 12 C Minor 1842 8
Nocturne 14 Op. 48 No. 2  in F-sharp Minor by Chopin piano sheet music AAO Nocturne 14 Op. 48 No. 220 F-sharp Minor 1842 8
Nocturne 15 Op. 55 No. 1  in F Minor by Chopin piano sheet music AAP Nocturne 15 Op. 55 No. 118 F Minor 1844 7
Nocturne 16 Op. 55 No. 2  in E-flat Major by Chopin piano sheet music AAQ Nocturne 16 Op. 55 No. 211 E-flat Major 1844 7
Nocturne 17 Op. 62 No. 1  in B Major by Chopin piano sheet music AAR Nocturne 17 Op. 62 No. 135 B Major 1846 8
Nocturne 18 Op. 62 No. 2  in E Major by Chopin piano sheet music AAS Nocturne 18 Op. 62 No. 213 E Major 1846 8
Nocturne 19 Op. 72 No. 1  in E Minor by Chopin piano sheet music AAT Nocturne 19 Op. 72 No. 114 E Minor 1837 7
Nocturne 20 Op. posth. B. 49  in C-sharp Minor by Chopin piano sheet music AAU Nocturne 20 Op. posth. B. 495 C-sharp Minor 1830 8
Nocturne 21 Op. posth. B. 108  in C Minor by Chopin piano sheet music AAV Nocturne 21 Op. posth. B. 1082 C Minor 1848 7

Forum posts about the Nocturnes by Frédéric Chopin

Chopin - Ballades vs. Etudes vs. Polonaises vs. Scherzos vs. Impromptus vs... by liszt-and-the-galops
Between Chopin's Ballades, Etudes, Polonaises, Nocturnes, Impromptus, Mazurkas, Preludes, Waltzes, and Scherzi, which ones generally sou...

The Most Beautiful Passage From Every Chopin Nocturne by fredviner
What are your favourite passages?  :) www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUMED0JrIF4&ab_channel=FrederickViner...

Supplemental Musical Sampling by bwl_13
I had a lesson with my teacher today and she pitched a cool idea for a summer project/challenge to help overhaul my technique (in addition t...

Organizing a concert for celebrating being alive by chopinonions
Hello everyone! I am organizing a concert for [b]next year[/b] that revolves around the joy of being alive. It is the final stage of a capst...

What pieces to listen to by lilyng
Hello everyone This is my first post on this forum :) I'm an intermediate pianist (I think? I've been learning piano for 6 years n...

Opinions on music without fingering by jimf12
I just took advantage of Henle's US Black Friday sale, and got the first volume of Haydn's Piano Sonatas at a nice discount. ...

Chopin Nocturne Edition used by Moravec. by gtdpiano
Hello.  I really like Moravec's performance of Nocturnes that I found on youtube.com here. youtu.be/kHXxWfSAxik (Sorry, in prev...

Chopin Paderewski Edition PDF / Digital Download by kofikonstantin
Hello does anyone know where i can buy the PDFs or digital formats for Paderewski editions of Chopins nocturnes or Etudes / Stuides? I cant ...

Exactly how difficult are Chopin Nocturnes? by svetlio320
Hi, I've recently perfected the Nocturne op55 no1 and have been wondering how difficult are the Nocturnes Op48 no1, Op27 no1,no2 and wh...

How difficult are Chopin Nocturnes by svetlio320
Hi, I've recently perfected the Nocturne op55 no1 and have been wondering how difficult are the Nocturnes Op48 no1, Op27 no1,no2 and wh...

Avoiding pieces at my level by 1piano4joe
Hi all, I've been avoiding pieces at my level for some time now. I find them too demanding, challenging, laborious, exhausting, boring...

Chopin Nocturnes: Which are your favorites? by billym
I am aware that Chopin's nocturnes are discussed somewhat too frequently. But I haven't really gotten a beneficial measure of whic...

A full recital (one hour) by andhow04
dear everyone, here is the link to my full video-recital, Poets of the Piano: Contrasts which premiered on youtube yesterday. in the descri...

Underrated Chopin Nocturnes? by anacrusis
I would venture a guess that most people know and love the most famous nocturnes, such as Op. 9 no. 2 in E flat major (perhaps also Op. 9 no...

Chopin nocturne question by pianopuff
Hi, I have played only a few Chopin nocturnes (Op. 9 no 1 and 2, as well as the posthumous nocturnes and Op 37 no 1). Many are lovely but a ...