The Nocturnes, Op. 27 are a set of two

nocturnes 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 ensemble ...

for solo piano composed by

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

. The pieces were composed in 1836 and published in 1837. Both

in this

opus ''Opus'' (pl. ''opera'') is a Latin word meaning "work". Italian equivalents are ''opera'' (singular) and ''opere'' (pl.). Opus or OPUS may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Opus number, (abbr. Op.) specifying order of (usually) publicatio ...

are dedicated to Countess d'Appony. This publication marked the transition from triplets of nocturnes to contrasting pairs. Whereas the Nocturnes, Op.9 and Op. 15 included three nocturnes each, the remainder of Chopin's nocturnes published during his lifetime were in sets of two.

David Dubal David Dubal (born Cleveland, Ohio) is an American pianist, teacher, author, lecturer, broadcaster, and painter. Musician and painter Dubal has given piano recitals and master classes worldwide, and has also judged international piano competitions ...

feels that the pieces are "more aptly described as ballades in miniature". Blair Johnson states that these two nocturnes are "two of the most powerful—and famous—nocturnes

hopin Hopin ( my, ဟိုပင်မြို့; shn, ဝဵင်းႁူဝ်ပၢင်ႇ; also Hobin) is a town in Mohnyin Township, Kachin State, in north-east Myanmar. It is situated on the main Mandalay – Myitkyina railway line, 7 ...

has ever penned" and that these nocturnes are "virtually unrecognizable" to the nocturne tradition of John Field.

Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 1

The Nocturne in C-sharp minor, referred to as Nocturne No. 7 in the context of the complete set of Chopin's Nocturnes, is initially marked ''

larghetto 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 (often ...

'' and is in

meter The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

, written as common time. It transitions to ''più mosso'' (more movement) in measure 29, along with a time signature change to meter. The piece returns to its original tempo and meter in measure 84, and ends in an ''

adagio Adagio (Italian for 'slowly', ) may refer to: Music * Adagio, a Tempo#Basic tempo markings, tempo marking, indicating that music is to be played slowly, or a composition intended to be played in this manner * Adagio (band), a French progressive m ...

'' beginning in measure 99. The piece is 101 measures long and written in

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 includ ...

with

coda Coda or CODA may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Movie coda, a post-credits scene * ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television *''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...

; the primary theme is introduced, followed by a secondary theme and a repetition of the first. The opening alternates between

major and minor In Western music, the adjectives major and minor may describe a chord, scale, or key. As such, composition, movement, section, or phrase may be referred to by its key, including whether that key is major or minor. Intervals Some intervals ma ...

and uses wide

arpeggios A broken chord is a chord broken into a sequence of notes. A broken chord may repeat some of the notes from the chord and span one or more octaves. An arpeggio () is a type of broken chord, in which the notes that compose a chord are played ...

, commonly found in other nocturnes as well, in the left hand; such arpeggios require a wide left hand to play smoothly.

James Huneker James Gibbons Huneker (January 31, 1857 – February 9, 1921) was an American art, book, music, and theater critic. A colorful individual and an ambitious writer, he was "an American with a great mission," in the words of his friend, the critic Be ...

commented that the piece is "a masterpiece",Huneker (1966), p. 259 pointing to the "morbid, persistent melody" of the left hand. The ''più mosso'' uses mostly

triplets A multiple birth is the culmination of one multiple pregnancy, wherein the mother gives birth to two or more babies. A term most applicable to vertebrate species, multiple births occur in most kinds of mammals, with varying frequencies. Such bir ...

in the left-hand and modulates to

A major A major (or the key of A) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The key of A major is the only k ...

in measure 49. It ends with a

cadenza In music, a cadenza (from it, cadenza, link=no , meaning cadence; plural, ''cadenze'' ) is, generically, an improvisation, improvised or written-out ornament (music), ornamental passage (music), passage played or sung by a solo (music), sol ...

before transitioning back to the primary theme. For David Dubal, the ''più mosso'' has a "restless, vehement power".Dubal (2004), p. 463 Huneker also likens the ''più mosso'' to a work by

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

due to the agitated nature of this section. The coda "reminds the listener of Chopin's seemingly inexhaustible prodigality" according to Dubal while Huneker calls it a "surprising climax followed by sunshine" before returning to the opening theme.

In theatre

The first duet of the ballet '' In the Night'' by

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

(1970) was choreographed to this piece.

Excerpts

image:Chopin nocturne op27 1b.png, The second theme of No. 1 in C minor image:Chopin nocturne op27 1c.png, Modulation to A major

Nocturne in D-flat major, Op. 27, No. 2

The Nocturne in D-flat major, referred to as Nocturne No. 8 in the context of the complete set of Chopin's Nocturnes, is one of Chopin's more popular compositions. It is initially marked as '' lento

sostenuto Piano pedals are foot-operated levers at the base of a piano that change the instrument's sound in various ways. Modern pianos usually have three pedals, from left to right, the soft pedal (or una corda), the #Sostenuto pedal, sostenuto pedal, a ...

'' and is in meter. It consists of two

strophes A strophe () is a poetic term originally referring to the first part of the ode in Ancient Greek tragedy, followed by the antistrophe and epode. The term has been extended to also mean a structural division of a poem containing stanzas of varying ...

, repeated in increasingly complex

variations Variation or Variations may refer to: Science and mathematics * Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon * Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individuals ...

. The piece is 77 measures long. Blair Johnston calls the main

cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (1999) ...

, near the end of the piece, "one of the most glorious moments in Chopin's entire output". Johnston also calls the piece "one of hopin'smost graceful essays in

fioritura Fioritura ( , , meaning "flourish" or "flowering"; plural ) is the florid embellishment of melodic lines, either notated by a composer or improvised during a performance. It usually involves lengthy, complex embellishments, as opposed to standardi ...

ornamental practices". Huneker states that the piece "really contains but one subject, and is a song of the sweet summer of two souls, for there is obviously meaning in the duality of voices."Huneker (1966), p. 260 The piece contains a harmony of broken chords which is played with the left hand, a habit Chopin had when composing his nocturnes, while the right hand plays the main melody, often with the addition of a second voice. Various sections consisting of

grace note A grace note is a kind of music notation denoting several kinds of musical ornaments. It is usually printed smaller to indicate that it is melodically and harmonically nonessential. When occurring by itself, a single grace note indicates eithe ...

s and

polyrhythm Polyrhythm is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rhyth ...

s add to the delicate and somewhat melancholic mood that the piece conveys. The piece occasionally has been featured in popular culture, such as in the 1977 film '' The Spy Who Loved Me'', the 1998 Russian film ''

The Barber of Siberia ''The Barber of Siberia'' (russian: Сибирский цирюльник, translit. ''Sibirskiy tsiryulnik'') is a 1998 Russian film that re-united the Academy Award-winning team of director Nikita Mikhalkov and producer Michel Seydoux. It ...

'', and the webcomic ''

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal ''Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal'' (''SMBC'') is a webcomic by Zach Weinersmith. The gag-a-day comic features few recurring characters or storylines, and has no set format; some strips may be a single panel, while others may go on for ten pan ...

''.Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, n. 2454
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References

External links

* {{Authority control *27 1836 compositions Compositions in C-sharp minor Compositions in D-flat major Music with dedications