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Nocturnes, Op.48

Nocturne · Op. 48

Frédéric Chopin 1810–1849
Frédéric Chopin
Nocturne
Form
Op. 48
Catalogue
Score
First page of Nocturnes, Op.48

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Themes & character
Grandest of the nocturnes·Chorale and march·Dramatic scale·Published 1841

At a glance

Catalogue
Op. 48
Form
Nocturne

Movements

1
Nocturne in C minorC minor

Often called the greatest of the nocturnes: a solemn opening, a chorale-like middle section, then a passionate double-time return.

2
Nocturne in F♯ minorF♯ minor

Slower and more inward, with a central section Chopin reportedly asked to be played like a recitative.

About the piece

Published in 1841 and dedicated to his pupil Laure Duperre, this pair contains what many consider the greatest nocturne Chopin wrote. The C minor is built on a scale far beyond the salon, opening with a solemn tread, moving into a hymn-like central chorale, and returning transformed in agitated double time. Its architecture is closer to a ballade than to the intimate night pieces the form began as, showing how far Chopin had pushed the genre by his maturity.

The composer

Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
1810–1849

Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the early Romantic period who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leading composer of his era whose "poetic genius was based on a professional technique that was without equal in his generation".

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