Frédéric Chopin
Nocturne 19
in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1
Published after Chopin's death, this touching piece alternates a melancholic main section with a mysterious and peaceful secondary theme in major.
Year: 1837 (publ. 1855)
Period: Early Romantic
Piano score: PS Urtext 
Audiovisual Study Tool
Posthumous perfection
The e minor Nocturne alternates a melancholic main section with a mysterious and peaceful secondary theme in major, following an A-B-A’-B’ scheme. In each A section, the somber main theme is presented twice, first as a lone melody followed by a short episode, and then again reinforced in octaves. A transitional episode modulates to B major and the first entry of the B section, which provides some consolation before leading back to an exquisitely decorated variation of the A section. A short transition brings about a slightly modified repeat of the B section, now in E major, bringing the piece to a quiet close on the Picardy third. This Nocturne can be a rewarding piece to study for the early advanced or determined intermediate student if its main technical obstacles – supple navigation around the keyboard with the left hand and a couple of fast scales and arpeggio runs in the right hand – can be overcome. Apart from the opportunity it provides to study these difficulties along with melodic cantabile playing, there are few listeners whose hearts will remain untouched by a convincing performance of the piece.Background
Though Chopin asked for his unpublished pieces to be destroyed after his death, they were rescued from this fate by his friends and family. Julian Fontana, Chopin’s long-time confidant, published this Nocturne among a number of other unpublished works during the 1850:s. Though Fontana deemed the Nocturne to be a work from 1827 - Chopin’s late teens - this has more recently been disputed due to the level of compositional craft and emotional maturity it exhibits.Forum posts about this piece:
Chopin - Nocturne 72-1 melody analisys by pakkun
Hello ! I recently studied this piece. There is a passage in the melody I find really beautiful, and I would like to ask you an opinion/analysis about it. What did Chopin think when he composed this...
Chopin - Nocturne 72-1 fingering (part 2) by pakkun
Hello ! I'd like to ask for another advice about fingering in the Nocturne 72-1. I know it may be easy for many of you, but I am a beginner and I prefer to ask for an advice :-[ What...
Practice level vs playing level by figaro
I’ve been taking private lessons for about a year after being away from piano for some time. Currently I’m learning Chopin Nocturne in E Minor Op72 and an Etude by Loescchorn. Both pieces are advanced...
Chopin's Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72, No. 1 -- Significant textual variants by gingrichdk
I've been comparing scores and performances of this nocturne and, among the many differences, have discovered one major one, plus a couple more of interest. Can anyone help me make an educated guess about...
help with pedal marks in chopin op72 no1 by itzik0525168
hi, i don't understand when to release the pedal and when to press again. from the sheet it's seem to me that there is stop between releasing the pedal until the next use for example...
Classical piano Audition soon, 2 pieces with 'contrasting pieces/movements'? by mylynn
Hi, i have a classical piano audition coming up soon for a bachelor's program in classical performance. It doesn't say much, just '2 contrasting pieces/movemenets'. Could I play two...
Guitar chords against Chopin's music by stillofthenight
Hello, I am trying to put guitar chords against some of my favorite Chopin pieces to play on my guitar. I am interested in the underlying chord progressions that make up the piece. However, I have a pretty hard...
Help/Advice with Chopin Nocturne in E Minor 0p72,No1??? by sophiehill123456789
Hello, I'm rather new on this forum(Its a Miracle I came across it :) ) Currently, Im having a go at Chopins Nocturne in E minor op 72, No1. Now, I only play at around grade 6 level so its...
Chopin Nocturne op 72 no 1 by redragon
I'm learning this piece....... and I stumbled across something that i noticed i could use help with. There are sixteenth notes and triplets going on at the same time and i was wondering how they...
Chopin Nocturne in e minor by 8426
I'm studying chopin's nocturne in e minor. In the second part there are some plyrythms...4-3 ,then 8-3 ,then 10-3 ,then 11-3. Apart from HS practice how should it be practiced? Before the 11-3...
Any advice on playing Nocturne in E minor? by ishy14
I'm learning a new piece, Nocturne in E minor-Chopin. My teacher said she cant help me much on some parts any advice on learning it?...
Learn Chopin Nocturne Op.72 #1 with Me! by violinist
I just printed out the music. Here's the .pdf file: www.sheetmusicarchive.net/compositions_b/noct72_1.pdf Maybe we could learn it together and post about how we're...
Chopin Nocturne op 72 no. 1 by guitarwolf
I have a question about the big trill in this piece. 3rd page 8th bar. I know the first part of the trill is with the 1st and 3rd finger. My question is when you switch over to the latter part of the trill what...
what are your thoughts on Chopin Nocturne in E m, Op.72 Nº.1 by RH200300
what are your thoughts on Chopin Nocturne in E m, Op.72 Nº.1 thanks ...
Chopin Nocturnes op 72 No. 1 by rh2003001
Chopin Nocturnes op 72 No. 1 I'd like to know what impressions this piece had left inside each of you. a sad one ? anything insight of this piece ? could someone tell me a good...
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Frédéric Chopin, who was one of the prominent composers active in the Early Romantic era, wrote this piece titled "Nocturne (opus posth)"Op. 72 No. 1 in E Minor from Nocturnes. The composition is categorized as "Piece" in the sheet music library and the level of difficulty in the piano music database is 7.