Nocturne in B-flat minor, Op. 9 No. 1

About this work

The first Nocturne of Op. 9 opens with a broad, almost improvised line over a regular rocking accompaniment. Chopin then widens the space in a central section where the melody moves in octaves before bringing back the opening voice, now marked by what has happened. The ornamentation is not decoration laid over the melody: it extends the breath and sometimes delays the arrival without allowing the pulse to disappear.

Separate three layers from the start of slow practice: the bass, inner chords and melody. The left hand should sway without accenting every beat; the right must bring out the principal line even within the runs. For each ornament, establish its departure and destination first, then distribute the intervening notes freely around that frame. This avoids the effect of a carefully counted string of pearls with no musical motion.

In the octave passage marked sotto voce, bring out the upper note without making the chords heavy. Keep the bass deep and let the upper voices broaden. At the return, do not simply copy the first statement: hear the points of support differently and preserve a sense of distance. Pedalling follows the harmony and register; it may be generous beneath sustained sounds, but never so much that it clouds the chromatic movement.


About this edition

The 6-page PDF contains the complete work for solo piano. The engraving by Benjamin D. Esham, based on the 1915 Schirmer edition edited by Rafael Joseffy, is distributed by Mutopia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 licence. Adaptations must retain attribution and the same licence. A MIDI file accompanies the score on LesPartitions.info.