Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 9 No. 2
Chopin's Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 (published 1832), is an Intermediate piece (Octotune grade 6 of 8) in 12/8. A singing, increasingly ornamented melody floats over a wide, rocking left hand.
At a glance
| Composer | Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Intermediate: grade 6 of 8 |
| Key | E♭ major (3 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭)) |
| Time | 12/8 |
| Tempo | 66 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 38 bars, about 3:22 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | G3 to E♭7 |
| Left hand | A♭1 to D5 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Nocturne in E-flat, Op. 9 No. 2 | 6 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Chopin's Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 9 No. 2, published in 1832 when he was in his early twenties, is the most famous of his nocturnes. A nocturne is a night piece: a song-like melody over a gentle accompaniment. Chopin's melodies owe much to the opera singers of his day.
How it is built. The main melody is heard several times, and each time Chopin decorates it more: turns, trills, quick runs of small notes. Near the end comes a short cadenza, a flourish in free time, before the piece settles.
The tricky parts
- The left hand. In 12/8, each beat is a low bass note followed by two chord notes in the middle of the keyboard. The hand swings back and forth all the way through, sometimes nearly three octaves in one move. It must stay soft and even under the melody.
- Ornaments. The decorations need to sound easy, as if sung. Learn the plain melody first.
- Timing. The melody bends and breathes (rubato) while the left hand keeps a steadier pulse.
- Three flats plus many accidentals.
Practice plan
- The left hand alone, slowly, until the bass-and-chord motion is automatic. Look ahead to the next bass note.
- The melody alone, with Octotune's Melody level. Octotune leaves the quickest grace notes and turns out of what it asks you to play, so you can learn the line before its decoration.
- Together, a phrase at a time, at 50–60% speed with the A–B loop.
- Add the ornaments one by one, and the cadenza last.
Before you start: the whole Octotune path, plus comfort with key signatures of several flats and with 12/8, which the path's rhythm units don't cover.
Questions
Is Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 hard?
It is an intermediate piece (Octotune grade 6 of 8). The tempo is gentle, but the left hand leaps widely on every beat, the melody is decorated with quick ornaments, and it needs a singing tone and flexible timing.
What time signature is Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 in?
12/8: four beats in a bar, each divided into three. It is in E flat major, with three flats.
Credits and licence
- Music: Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
- Typeset by Renato Biolcati Rinaldi for the Mutopia Project
- Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece