Hi,

Does anyone know the reason (or story) behind why Chopin wrote this famous nocturne? It's all easy to conjure up a story while playing it but if we're going to be playing to convey the composer's message (since playing music is like telling a story), shouldn't we know the story behind it?

I'm totally totally in love with this piece so I'd appreciate some help!

Thanks very much!

There are two nocturnes in C sharp minor ( I know because I recently spent a week trying to learn the wrong one!). Do you mean the posthumous one? or the Op 27 no.1?

In either case I can't answer your question, but it might help someone (and I'm interested in the answer!)

I'd kindof assumed she meant the posthumous one (forgot there was another one ). I don't know what its about, but thought i'd add say its one of my all-time favourite pieces

Hi, yes, I was referring to the posthumous one. That's the more famous one I thought? Or at least...I was led to believe. *grin* Anyone with the story behind? I'm really curious!!

The late C#minor one has always been an enigma. My AB edition of the Nocturnes doesnt even contain it, just the 19 Nocturnes with proper Opus numbers. It was discovered among his papers after his death, but was dated 1830 (he died in 1849), and was not actually published until 1876. It is sometimes known as No 20. Its most significant feature, lies not in its beauty, but in the strange notation of a tune taken from his early F Minor Piano Concerto. In the original version, which he later suppressed, the tune is written out in 3/4 time, but with an accompaniment in 4/4. That Chopin should have thought of that notation in 1830 is remarkable, as this sort of polymetrical combination didnt really happen until the 20th century.
There is also a No 21 (op Posth) in C Minor dated 1837, which is hardly heard at all.
Hope this helps. !

So what is the circumstance in which he wrote it? To me...the piece sounds slightly dream-like and the melody haunting even.

Haunting Melodies? I think you could say that about most of these pieces, they are perfect examples of the romantic bel canto singing stlyle, intimate, yearning, nostalgic....influenced by John Fields Nocturnes and Italian operatic melodies from the likes of Bellini. Whether or not there is a particular chain of events which inspired this piece or not, i would say, should have little bearing on the way you play it yourself. This could affect its' spontanaeity and the improvisatory which i think they all have . In many pieces there may well be some unfolding story, but I have never really been concious of this in most of the ones i play, except perhaps in Medtners Skazki (Fairy Tales) many of which are instructed to play as ''Narrante'', and they really do have a narrative quality. It is a beauty of a piece, and i'd just say play it how you feel compelled to. The trickiest part is fitting all those right hand notes against the four quavers, near the end, while not slowing the quavers to a snails pace.

In my book it says that Chopin wrote it for his sister to practise before she played his concerto. So it's more like a study maybe...?

Poland was carved up by the Prussian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires during the early 19th century. My knowledge of dates is sketchy, so more avid historians can correct any misinterpretations on my part.

A very young Chopin found himself in the Russian part of occupied Poland. The Russians were determined to stamp out all vestiges of Polish life and culture; they closed all the centres of learning and imprisoned, and usually killed, anybody with any kind of artistic ability. Chopin fled to Paris at the age of 17 to escape probable death, and had to make a living.

The young man's ability quickly gained him access to the rich and powerful. At the end of the evening of wining and dining, Chopin would be called upon to perform; in effect, he was playing for his supper. Many of his compositions were born under these circumstances as he improvised a Nocturne, Waltz or Mazurka. This is why so many of these pieces are in ternary form - an ideal form for an improvisor whocan remember what he played in section A.

Those improvisations he felt were worthwhile, he subsequently wrote down and worked on. Of those, the ones he viewed as valuable he had published. The rest he abandoned. Many have doubtless been lost; the rest come down to us as posthumous compositions.

The op post Nocturnes tell no particular story. They are redolent of the emotions of a young man forced from his homeland into a foreign culture, trying to make his way. Bear that in mind as you play them and their turbulence starts to make some sense. Suddenly, the reason for their passion will become clear.

i have the music for the c minor one, its also really worth playing too.

Does anyone have any tips for memorising this piece? I can pretty much get the first page down pat but I have problems with the second page! The left hand chords!! =( These left hand problems (trouble memorising) last all the way to the beginning of the third page. The runs at the end and all the way to the end of the piece are fine. It's just those in the middle. Help!

Just try memorising a bar or two each day, and no more than that. Don't move on 'til you've got the last one. I play this piece but can't remember any of it without the music, which goes for nearly everything i play. But when i do need to memorise something, then just a little bit each day, it seems to work.

Sorry for bumping this thread but it's a little update.

I managed to finish memorising the last 1.5 pages of the Nocturne so it's all done!! I'm so so so happy! It's so much easier to inject emotions and have images running through my head while playing it memorised instead of having to look at the notes. I tried the 2 bars a day method for the chords on the 2nd page and it worked great but I just split the rest up into small sections. WHEEEEEEE!!

This strikes a chord. Despite playing piano for more years than I care to remember (admittedly with some long gaps where I only did barely enough practice to ward off decline) I had very little memorized repertoire until I started to work at it seriously again, about a year ago. It seemed ridiculous that I could not play for anyone without planning in advance and taking a stack of sheet music wih me. Also, everywhere I looked the advice of top pianists was the same. If you want to play well, you must ply from memory. They might differ on other matters, but on this they agreed. And they are right. It is only when you play a piece from memory that you have sufficient attention free to listen to yourself and realise just how awful it all sounds!!

This is getting a bit off-topic, but what follows might be useful information.

Unfortunately I am no Argerich, capable of learning the entire Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1 in two weeks. Like Chopinzee I too find that there is a (rather small) limit to how much I can learn each day of any one piece. It varies with the "density" of the music - a bar or two of a Bach 4-par fugue might be more than enough, but I might manage 10 bars a lighter textured sonata movement by Haydn or Mozart. (I am talking here of memorising the music - not mastering it technically and being able to play it with well-maintained steady tempo, properly shaped phrases etc. - i.e. making it into something that is less than excrutiating to listen to).

But although there seems to be quite a small limit to the amount I can take of any one piece in a day, I find that I can work in parellel on several different pieces, so long as they are clearly different in character and style. So, a Bach fugue, a fast movement of a Mozart sonata, a slow movement of a Beethoven sonata, a Chopin study, a Rachmaninov Prelude, a pice from Debussy's Children's Corner, and an arrangement of Ain't Misbehavin' can all progress nicely side by side.

On a days notice John Ogden had to stand in for someone playing Brahms second concerto, and although the conducter was in a panic as Ogden had never played the piece, John calmly said ''It's alright, I 've got all morning to learn it''.... rare ability, and by all accounts he was one of the best sight readers ever. But memorising is something i'm reluctant to do because i find it so time consuming, and quite frustrating. Last night i memorised some of the first page of Griegs Agitato little by little, but it's true that the music feels more spontaneous when played without the need to look at notes. Definitely need to get more done though.