Romantic · 1832
Nocturne in E♭ major
F. ChopinOp. 9 No. 2
- Key
- Eb
- Time
- 12/8
- Tempo
- ♩=132
- AO focus
- AO2
Incipit
Form
Nocturne — slow lyrical melody (RH) over a rippling broken-chord LH accompaniment in compound time. ABA structure with ornamented return.
Teaching points
- 12/8 compound metre — feels like 4 'big' beats, each subdivided into triplet eighth notes
- RH rubato — singers' style: stretch the melody over a steady LH
- Decoration on returns: each repeat of the main theme is more ornate — practice trills, mordents, written-out ornaments
- Practical: pedal changes on every beat to keep harmony clean under the rolling LH
Full score ↓Public domain
Score: IMSLP (multiple editions including Paderewski Urtext, all public domain).