The third and final section of this nocturne begins at m. 89. I hear this section as a chorale, such as one might sing in church. The harmonies are pure and the downbeat is rhythmically important, rather than the pickup note. Chopin is backing off from the intensity of the second section both harmonically and texturally. However, now the music is in the fairly remote key of F major, and colored prominently by A minor (anticipations of both the "Ballade #2 in F Major" and the "Mazurka in A Minor, Op. 17 #4"). It stays in F major for nearly the entire section.
A stroke of improvisatory genius is in the second part of this section (see example below).
Chopin reveals a French horn at m. 121 as he introduces the tied notes that descend by thirds. This gesture actually was planted back in mm. 4-7 where he introduced both the ties and the falling by thirds. Playing these notes is a unique tactile sensation unlike anything else in the piece-it feels as if it is happening of the moment. My own fantasy is that Chopin, in improvising this nocturne, hit upon the sensation-liked the sound and the feel, and continued it for a long time, totally forgetting that he was in the wrong key to end the music! Progressive modulation is still off in the Wagnerian future; Chopin is far too much of a classicist to end a Gm composition in F major. So, just as the note B natural took on different functions previously, here the note D natural serves two roles:
Chopin improvises one more glorious surprise by ending not in G minor, but in G major.
Surprise is a key ingredient in improvisation, and Chopin provides us with it in abundance throughout this nocturne. Even though the performer clearly knows what is coming next, there must be the realization that the audience does not. No matter how many times one plays this work, it must always feel fresh and newly created. This is not something that a teacher can teach, but it can certainly be pointed out often and fostered in lessons. Gifted students will achieve a sense of spontaneity in their performance after discovering the ingredients that make the music sound improvised. Less sensitive students will have trouble with a piece like this, but in my opinion it is of inestimable value to work with them on such repertoire. The improvisatory spirit is present in so much of our piano repertoire, from the wild journey of Bach's "Chromatic Fantasy," through the melancholy of the second movement of Beethoven's "Sonata in D Major, Op. 10, #3," including all of the Romantic period, on into the Debussy Preludes-one could go on and on. We do all students a great service to expose them to the improvisatory elements in a piece and try to direct their thinking towards greater spontaneity.
Ed. note: Louis Nagel has been kind enough to record the entire Chopin Nocturne for us. Audio files on the web are quite large, especially if the length of time recorded is more than a few seconds. We have broken up the recording of the piece into sections, so that you can download whichever portion of the piece you would like. Within a few years, large audio files like these will not require a lot of time to download, but unfortunately, they still do. But we are sure you will enjoy hearing the artistic performance of the piece! Reminder: With most browsers, while the long audio file is downloading, you can travel around and read other pages on the website - then check periodically to see if the download is complete.
 975k, WAV file |
611k, WAV file |
1100k, WAV file |
LOUIS NAGEL combines an active concert and teaching schedule, and is noted for his lecture-recitals for diverse audiences. He has performed solo recitals and concerto concerts in major American and European cities. He is also a frequent presenter and clinician at state and national conferences. His CD, Four Centuries of J.S. Bach, has received critical acclaim. Dr. Nagel is on the piano faculty at The University of Michigan School of Music, and is a Steinway artist.