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The Music of the Night: Piano Nocturnes


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Rebecca Bogart full profile / solo piano / 1 musician


Full program notes

When people ask me to play a song, I bite my tongue. I resist the snobby urge to say that in the classical music world, we usually use the word "piece." As in "What piece will you be playing for your conservatory audition today, Ms. Student Sérieuse? But for nocturnes, the formal term "piece" is wrong because nocturnes ARE songs for the piano.

Nocturnes showcase the piano as a singing instrument. The genre's magic is that it makes a percussion instrument with hammers sound like it is singing.

This program will showcase two nocturnes by under appreciated composers Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel and Clara Schumann. And then we can revel in six of Chopin’s Nocturnes, which are considered among the best short solo works for piano.

I love playing these nocturnes because I love playing beautiful melodies. I find the wealth of deep emotion in these pieces infinitely nourishing.

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847)

Notturno H. 337 1838

Clara Schumann (1819-1896)


Notturno Opus 6 No. 2 1835

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)


Lento con Gran Espressione

Nocturnes Opus 15 (1830-1833)

No. 1 in F Major

No. 2 in F Sharp Major


Nocturnes Opus 27 (1835-1836)
No. 1 in C Sharp Minor

No. 2 in D Flat Major 

Nocturnes Opus 37 (1839)
No. 1 in G Minor
No. 2 in G Major



Historical context

The first nocturne creator was Irish composer John Field in 1814. He was inspired by
the slow, gentle tunes of Italian opera from the early 19th century. Some Nocturne
melodies also have elaborate sprays of notes copied from Italian opera composers.

A Nocturne is a short piece for piano. It’s inspired by or evocative of the night. It has a
smooth singing melody and calm accompaniment. Usually there is a dramatic stormy
middle section so the piece tells a story of overcoming difficulty.

Music speaks to our emotions. Often emotions upsurge at night as we end the day’s
activities and get ready for sleep. And dreams can be a door into hidden emotion. So
Nocturnes are usually deeply emotional and expressive. Their beauty is an example of
how darkness can heal and calm.


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