Chopin – Nocturne in D flat major Op. 27 No. 2 – Music | History
The Nocturnes, Op. 27 are two solo piano pieces composed by Frédéric Chopin. The pieces were composed in 1836 and published in 1837. Both nocturnes in this opus are dedicated to Countess d’Appony.
This publication marked the transition from triplets of nocturnes to contrasting pairs.
David Dubal feels that the pieces are “more aptly described as ballades in miniature”. Blair Johnson states that these two nocturnes are “two of the most powerful—and famous—nocturnes [Chopin] has ever penned” and that these nocturnes are “virtually unrecognizable” to the nocturne tradition of John Field.
The Nocturne in D-flat major is initially marked as lento sostenuto and is in 6/8 meter. It consists of two strophes, repeated in increasingly complex variations. The piece is 77 measures long.
Blair Johnston calls the main cadence, near the end of the piece, “one of the most glorious moments in Chopin’s entire output”. Johnston also calls the piece “one of [Chopin’s] most graceful essays in fioritura ornamental practices”. Huneker states that the piece “really contains but one subject, and is a song of the sweet summer of two souls, for there is obviously meaning in the duality of voices.” He also claims that the piece is “harmonically most interesting”. Friskin states that the piece contains “broken rhythms and slurs which require a delicate hand touch”.
The piece occasionally has been featured in popular culture, such as in the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me, the 1998 Russian film The Barber of Siberia, and the webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.
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