Nocturne Op. 32/1

The Irish pianist John Field composed piano Nocturnes before Chopin, but they are pale predecessors offering more historical than musical interest. Chopin took Field's model—a clear singing melody above an arpeggiated (broken-chord) accompaniment—and infused it with striking chord changes, greater lyricism, and a strongly contrasting middle section. Consider the pair of Nocturnes, Op. 27 (1835). The works share a common tonal center: C-sharp/D-flat. One piece is in the minor mode, the other in major. Chopin epitomizes this basic dualism in the minor-to-major fluctuations heard at the very beginning of Op. 27 No. 1. Both Nocturnes show his preferred ABA form, in which a more restrained outer theme counterpoises a turbulent middle. In Op. 27 No. 1 the B section becomes almost electric as it builds to a valedictory dance. Op. 27 No. 2 finds the composer in a more capricious mood. Carefully placed dissonances spice up the initial serenity, but only later—in the chromatic B section—are their powers for harmonic misdirection fully realized. Similarly, in the B-major Nocturne, Op. 32 No. 1 (1837), the main theme's steady rhythm and graceful figuration barely hint at the striking conclusion to come, which features a stark recitative and a minor tonic chord.

(c) Jason Stell