400px, The opening bars of No. 1 in F major. The Nocturnes, Op. 15 are a set of three

nocturne A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' 'of the night') was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...

s for solo piano written by Frédéric Chopin between 1830 and 1833. The work was published in January 1834, and was dedicated to

Ferdinand Hiller Ferdinand (von) Hiller (24 October 1811 – 11 May 1885) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, writer and music director. Biography Ferdinand Hiller was born to a wealthy Jewish family in Frankfurt am Main, where his father Justus (orig ...

. These nocturnes display a more personal approach to the nocturne form than that of the earlier Opus 9. The melodies and emotional depth of these nocturnes have thus been thought of as more "Chopinesque."

Nocturne in F major, Op. 15, No. 1

Chopin's fourth nocturne is in simple

ternary form Ternary form, sometimes called song form, is a three-part musical form consisting of an opening section (A), a following section (B) and then a repetition of the first section (A). It is usually schematized as A–B–A. Prominent examples inclu ...

(A–B–A). The first section, in F major, features a very simple melody over a descending triplet pattern in the left hand. The middle section in

F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature consists of four flats. Its relative major is A-flat major and its parallel major is F major. Its enharmonic equivalent, E-sharp mi ...

, in great contrast to the outer themes, is fast and dramatic (''Con fuoco'') using a challenging double note texture in the right hand. After a return to the serene A theme, the ending does not contain a coda, but rather two simple arpeggios. Some critics have remarked that this nocturne has little to do with night, as if sunlight is "leaking from the piece's seams." left, 300px, The second theme of No. 1 in F minor.

Nocturne in F-sharp major, Op. 15, No. 2

350px, The opening bars of No. 2 in F major. Chopin's fifth nocturne is in A–B–A form, in time. The first section, marked ''Larghetto'', features an intricate, elaborately ornamental melody over an even quaver bass. The second section, labeled ''doppio movimento'' (double speed), resembles a

scherzo A scherzo (, , ; plural scherzos or scherzi), in western classical music, is a short composition – sometimes a movement from a larger work such as a symphony or a sonata. The precise definition has varied over the years, but scherzo often re ...

with dotted quaver-semi quaver melody, semiquavers in a lower voice in the right hand, and large jumps in the bass. The final section is a shortened version of the first (14 bars rather than 24) with characteristic

cadenzas In music, a cadenza (from it, cadenza, link=no , meaning cadence; plural, ''cadenze'' ) is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and ofte ...

and elaboration, finishing with an arpeggio on F major, falling at first, then dying away. Many consider this nocturne to be the best of the opus, stating that its musical maturity matches some of his later nocturnes." Pianist

Theodor Kullak Theodor is a masculine given name. It is a German form of Theodore. It is also a variant of Teodor. List of people with the given name Theodor * Theodor Adorno, (1903–1969), German philosopher * Theodor Aman, Romanian painter * Theodor Blue ...

remarked about this piece, "The return of the heavenly opening theme... touches nelike a benediction." left, 300px, Second theme from No. 2 in F major.

Nocturne in G minor, Op. 15, No. 3

300px, The opening bars of No. 3 in G minor. Chopin's sixth nocturne begins with a slow ''Lento''

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

and is written in time. The right-hand part is composed of simple eighth and quarter note patterns, followed by a chromatic rise and fall. The left-hand part maintains quarter note patterns to support the right hand, with pedal marks every six notes. The ending part of the piece is marked ''Religioso'' and uses

legato In music performance and notation, legato (; Italian for "tied together"; French ''lié''; German ''gebunden'') indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected. That is, the player makes a transition from note to note wit ...

chords Chord may refer to: * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve * Chord ( ...

in the right-hand part. The piece departs from the usual

in a Chopin nocturne. The concluding section is not only unrelated thematically to the opening one but in a different key (F major). The last four bars return to G minor, though the final chord is major (a

Picardy third A Picardy third, (; french: tierce picarde) also known as a Picardy cadence or Tierce de Picardie, is a major chord of the tonic at the end of a musical section that is either modal or in a minor key. This is achieved by raising the third of the ...

), as is usual in a Chopin nocturne. Chopin originally entitled this nocturne "At the cemetery" when he composed it a day after he attended a performance of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'', but erased the inscription when the piece was to be printed, saying: "Let them figure it out for themselves."M. A. Szulc, ', 1880

References

External links

* * Nocturne No. 3 in G Minor sheet music available a
Musopen.com
{{Authority control *15 1833 compositions Compositions in F major Compositions in F-sharp major Compositions in G minor Music with dedications