Classical Music Review: Nocturne No.15 Opus 55 No. 1 in F minor (1843)
By Sujanti Djuanda
History of Nocturne's term
The term 'Notturno', in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, referred to vocal or instrumental compositions, which were generally played outdoors. For example, Haydn composed eight Notturnos for King Ferdinand IV of Naples, and Mozart a Serenata notturna (KV 239).
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, John Field (1782-1837), the Irish pianist and composer, invented the Nocturne as single movement impromptu compositions for piano that maintain a single mood throughout. He gave this title to his sixteen short pieces (written between 1812 and 1835) in which his first set of three, widely circulated and reprinted throughout post-Napoleonic Europe, appeared from CF Peters of Leipzig in the autumn of 1814 (Brahms owning a copy of this edition).
In Christmas Day 1832, Chopin heard Field played his C minor Seventh Concerto (forerunner of Field's own same-key of Andante spianato Op 22 [published independently as Nocturne No 12, December 1834]) at the Paris Conservatoire (the first complete performance) then influenced Chopin to develop this style by composing his 21 Nocturnes.
About Chopin's Nocturnes, Franz Liszt said, "We have seen the shy, serenely tender emotions which Field charged them to interpret, supplanted by strange and foreign effects. Only one genius possessed himself of this style, lending to it all the movement and ardor of which it was susceptible. Chopin, in his poetic Nocturnes, sang not only the harmonies which are the source of our most ineffable delights, but likewise the restless, agitating bewilderment to which they often give rise."
In Chopin's early Nocturnes, his debt to Field is unmistakable. However, in this 'Chopin's late style' nocturne, as a friend of Vincenzo Bellini, the Italian opera composer, Chopin tried to capture Bellini's bel canto style (singing style) in his melodic line over a Field bass, complete with vocal derived ornamentation at climax points and extraordinary ability to renew accompaniment becomes very complex, sometimes ranging over four or five octaves.
This Nocturne Op. 55 No. 1 was composed in Oct. 1843 and published on Aug. 1844. It was dedicated to Mademoiselle Jane Wilhelmina Stirling, a pupil and close friend of the composer.
It was categorized as "late Chopin style" - the last years of his life, after 1840. Chopin's composing style between 1830 and 1846 in the following way: "No other composer so frequently slurred against the phrase structure of his music". Chopin unique use of the sustaining pedal merges chord tones together more freely than in an earlier music (occasionally resulting in some 'pre-impressionistic' effects).
Also, in later pieces he abandoned strong effects and violent, direct emotional statement in favor of greater concentration (agitated and uncertain). Simultaneously, his tonal language became even more elaborate and distant from traditional patterns. It's tempting to liken their characteristics of his own temperament perhaps as the result of his ill.
Music analysis
As majority of Chopin's nocturnes, if consists of three sections A – B – A form which can be divided as sub-sections a-b-a-b-a-c-a plus two codas. The first slow opening phrase is divided into the sub-phrases of unequal length (2+2+4 measures) – an approach often found in piano compositions of the Classical period - in which the first sub-phrase as main theme, repeated twice in little varied by ornaments (such as acciaccatura, trills) and extended sub-phrase.
The lyrical melody is in a melancholy dreamy Italian Bel-Canto (beautiful singing) style and diatonic in F minor despite he used extensive chromaticism and dissonance. It sound tells about someone that is contemplating. All forward moving bass lines (in single staccato notes and by block staccato chords) feel like a march but is not quite.
Then first opening phrase is almost strictly repeated in the second phrase only have additional notes after trill.
The second 'bright' theme comes with its sequence (up a minor third) then the falling melancholy notes with two sequences (down a minor third) in which the last sequence is varied with acciaccatura and repeated again in ritenuto.
At measure 25-47, the main and second themes are re-sung, varied with some triplets in measure 27-28 and 43, polyrhythm in measure 44: seven of eighth-note in the right-hand against two of quarter-note in the left hand. All in a tempo only ritenuto near the end of the second theme.
In piu mosso, suddenly more dramatic in ff triplets notes and block heavy chords with the strictly repetition in second sub-phrase, only difference in the block chords. Then second phrase is the sequence (down a perfect four).
No longer, suddenly piano in C part (measure 58-68), shows a three-voice texture, except the first bar. The lower voice is the accompaniment with broken seventh chords in triplets and quarter-note patterns, the first and second voice are contrapuntally.
It's divided into two phrases and each phrase contents of two sub-phrases. The second phrase is the sequence (up a perfect four). The two first phrases sounds agitated (hurry) then became tranquil (calm down).
Then the falling forte running16th chromatic scale and rallentando as a short bridge to the stretto marked in which the single melody sings with syncopation block chords in bass lines by turns until a fermata.
In Tempo I marked, Chopin returns us to the main theme for the 4 first measures but at molto legato e stretto, it's changed became a three-voice texture for 2 phrases (4+4 measures) in which the two upper voices more chromatically in contrary motion.
The first coda, the broken chords melody in triplets of f minor begun in root position in the first bar, second inversion in second bar then first inversion in third bar whereas the sustained semibreve chords in basslines. The second phrase is the sequence (up an octave). In this section, the melody climbs in a crescendo to a diminished at accelerando tempo.
The second coda, back to the original tempo and using IV V and I chords - perfect cadence of F minor in which the tonic chord is in arpeggios that repeated three times in f as second coda, sounds like someone who wake up from his dreamy (contemplation) with a new hope and made Theodor Kullak (1818-1882), the German pianist and composer, wrote on the last measures, "Thank God--the goal is reached!"
History of Nocturne's term
The term 'Notturno', in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, referred to vocal or instrumental compositions, which were generally played outdoors. For example, Haydn composed eight Notturnos for King Ferdinand IV of Naples, and Mozart a Serenata notturna (KV 239).
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, John Field (1782-1837), the Irish pianist and composer, invented the Nocturne as single movement impromptu compositions for piano that maintain a single mood throughout. He gave this title to his sixteen short pieces (written between 1812 and 1835) in which his first set of three, widely circulated and reprinted throughout post-Napoleonic Europe, appeared from CF Peters of Leipzig in the autumn of 1814 (Brahms owning a copy of this edition).
In Christmas Day 1832, Chopin heard Field played his C minor Seventh Concerto (forerunner of Field's own same-key of Andante spianato Op 22 [published independently as Nocturne No 12, December 1834]) at the Paris Conservatoire (the first complete performance) then influenced Chopin to develop this style by composing his 21 Nocturnes.
About Chopin's Nocturnes, Franz Liszt said, "We have seen the shy, serenely tender emotions which Field charged them to interpret, supplanted by strange and foreign effects. Only one genius possessed himself of this style, lending to it all the movement and ardor of which it was susceptible. Chopin, in his poetic Nocturnes, sang not only the harmonies which are the source of our most ineffable delights, but likewise the restless, agitating bewilderment to which they often give rise."
In Chopin's early Nocturnes, his debt to Field is unmistakable. However, in this 'Chopin's late style' nocturne, as a friend of Vincenzo Bellini, the Italian opera composer, Chopin tried to capture Bellini's bel canto style (singing style) in his melodic line over a Field bass, complete with vocal derived ornamentation at climax points and extraordinary ability to renew accompaniment becomes very complex, sometimes ranging over four or five octaves.
This Nocturne Op. 55 No. 1 was composed in Oct. 1843 and published on Aug. 1844. It was dedicated to Mademoiselle Jane Wilhelmina Stirling, a pupil and close friend of the composer.
It was categorized as "late Chopin style" - the last years of his life, after 1840. Chopin's composing style between 1830 and 1846 in the following way: "No other composer so frequently slurred against the phrase structure of his music". Chopin unique use of the sustaining pedal merges chord tones together more freely than in an earlier music (occasionally resulting in some 'pre-impressionistic' effects).
Also, in later pieces he abandoned strong effects and violent, direct emotional statement in favor of greater concentration (agitated and uncertain). Simultaneously, his tonal language became even more elaborate and distant from traditional patterns. It's tempting to liken their characteristics of his own temperament perhaps as the result of his ill.
Music analysis
As majority of Chopin's nocturnes, if consists of three sections A – B – A form which can be divided as sub-sections a-b-a-b-a-c-a plus two codas. The first slow opening phrase is divided into the sub-phrases of unequal length (2+2+4 measures) – an approach often found in piano compositions of the Classical period - in which the first sub-phrase as main theme, repeated twice in little varied by ornaments (such as acciaccatura, trills) and extended sub-phrase.
The lyrical melody is in a melancholy dreamy Italian Bel-Canto (beautiful singing) style and diatonic in F minor despite he used extensive chromaticism and dissonance. It sound tells about someone that is contemplating. All forward moving bass lines (in single staccato notes and by block staccato chords) feel like a march but is not quite.
Then first opening phrase is almost strictly repeated in the second phrase only have additional notes after trill.
The second 'bright' theme comes with its sequence (up a minor third) then the falling melancholy notes with two sequences (down a minor third) in which the last sequence is varied with acciaccatura and repeated again in ritenuto.
At measure 25-47, the main and second themes are re-sung, varied with some triplets in measure 27-28 and 43, polyrhythm in measure 44: seven of eighth-note in the right-hand against two of quarter-note in the left hand. All in a tempo only ritenuto near the end of the second theme.
In piu mosso, suddenly more dramatic in ff triplets notes and block heavy chords with the strictly repetition in second sub-phrase, only difference in the block chords. Then second phrase is the sequence (down a perfect four).
No longer, suddenly piano in C part (measure 58-68), shows a three-voice texture, except the first bar. The lower voice is the accompaniment with broken seventh chords in triplets and quarter-note patterns, the first and second voice are contrapuntally.
It's divided into two phrases and each phrase contents of two sub-phrases. The second phrase is the sequence (up a perfect four). The two first phrases sounds agitated (hurry) then became tranquil (calm down).
Then the falling forte running16th chromatic scale and rallentando as a short bridge to the stretto marked in which the single melody sings with syncopation block chords in bass lines by turns until a fermata.
In Tempo I marked, Chopin returns us to the main theme for the 4 first measures but at molto legato e stretto, it's changed became a three-voice texture for 2 phrases (4+4 measures) in which the two upper voices more chromatically in contrary motion.
The first coda, the broken chords melody in triplets of f minor begun in root position in the first bar, second inversion in second bar then first inversion in third bar whereas the sustained semibreve chords in basslines. The second phrase is the sequence (up an octave). In this section, the melody climbs in a crescendo to a diminished at accelerando tempo.
The second coda, back to the original tempo and using IV V and I chords - perfect cadence of F minor in which the tonic chord is in arpeggios that repeated three times in f as second coda, sounds like someone who wake up from his dreamy (contemplation) with a new hope and made Theodor Kullak (1818-1882), the German pianist and composer, wrote on the last measures, "Thank God--the goal is reached!"
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