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Nocturnes, Op. 48 (Chopin)

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Title page to Nocturne Op. 48

The Nocturnes, Op. 48 are a set of two nocturnes for solo piano written by Frédéric Chopin in 1841[1] and published the following year in 1842. They are dedicated to Mlle. Laure Duperré. Chopin later sold the copyright for the nocturnes for 2,000 francs along with several other pieces.[2]

Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1

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Opening bars from Op. 48 No. 1.

The Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1 is initially marked lento and is in 4
4 meter. In general, the scheme of the music is ternary form and follows A–B–A′.[3]

The piece becomes poco più lento at measure 25 and enters its middle section, which is a chorale in C major. Later, it moves to a technically demanding doppio movimento agitato at measure 49 which features fortissimo octave passages and double octave arpeggios. Finally, the piece ends with a reprise of the initial melody with extremely fast chordal accompaniment.[4] The piece is a total of 77 measures long.

The Nocturne in C minor is one of the more well known nocturnes, and has been categorized as one of Chopin's greatest emotional achievements.[5][6] Theodor Kullak said of the piece, "the design and poetic contents of this nocturne make it the most important one that Chopin created; the chief subject is a masterly expression of a great powerful grief."[6] Jan Kleczyński Sr. calls the nocturne "broad and most imposing with its powerful intermediate movement, a thorough departure from the nocturne style."[7] Some musical critics, including Charles Willeby and Frederick Niecks, do not think the piece deserves its fame and position; though James Huneker agrees with this assessment, he notes that the nocturne is still "the noblest nocturne of them all."[8] James Friskin found the music to have "the most imposing instrumental effect of any of the nocturnes," calling the crescendo and octaves "almost Lisztian."[9]

Jim Samson notes that the nocturne intensifies "not through ornamentation, but through a new textural background."[10] Kleczyński commented that the middle section "is the tale of a still greater grief told in an agitated recitando; celestial harps come to bring one ray of hope, which is powerless in its endeavor to calm the wounded soul, which...sends forth to heaven a cry of deepest anguish."[7] The ending, according to Samson, is "in the nature of an elaborated 'feminine ending', articulating the reactive final beat of an amphibrach grouping."[10]

Nocturne in F-sharp minor, Op. 48, No. 2

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Opening bars from Op. 48 No. 2.
Recording by Luke Faulkner (Musopen)
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The Nocturne in F-sharp minor, Op 48, No. 2 is initially marked andantino and is in 4
4 meter. It switches to più lento at measure 57 and returns to the original tempo at measure 101. The piece is a total of 137 measures long.

When compared with the more melancholy outer themes, the middle section, più lento, is completely different—the piece modulates from minor to major (D♭), changes its meter to 3
4 and decreases tempo. Frederick Niecks commented that the middle section "is finer" and contains "soothing, simple chord progressions."[11] Chopin once noted that the middle section was like a recitative and should be played as if "a tyrant commands, and the other asks for mercy."[5] The recapitulation is cut short by the coda, which ends with trills, a rising arpeggio and final chord in F♯ major.[12]

References

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  1. ^ Huneker, James G. (1966). Chopin: The Man and His Music. New York: Dover Publ. p. 251. ISBN 0-486-21687-X.
  2. ^ Dubal, David (2004). The Art of the Piano: Its Performers, Literature, and Recordings. Pompton Plains, N.J.: Amadeus Press. p. 461. ISBN 1-57467-088-3.
  3. ^ Samson, Jim (1985). The Music of Chopin. London; Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 91. ISBN 0-7100-9688-7.
  4. ^ Pollini, Maurizio. "Maurizio Pollini Plays Chopin's Nocturnes". Deutsche Grammophon. Archived from the original on 2009-04-30. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  5. ^ a b Woodstra, Chris; Brennan, Gerald; Schrott, Allen (2005). AllMusic Guide to Classical Music. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 287. ISBN 0-87930-865-6. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  6. ^ a b Dubal (2004), p. 464
  7. ^ a b Huneker (1966), pp. 262-263
  8. ^ Huneker (1966), p. 263
  9. ^ Friskin, James; Irwin Freundlich (1973). Music for the Piano: A handbook of concert and teaching material from 1580 to 1952. New York: Dover Publications. p. 106. ISBN 0-486-22918-1.
  10. ^ a b Samson (2005), p. 89
  11. ^ Huneker (1966), p. 264
  12. ^ Friskin (1973), pp. 106-107
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