Hey guys, this is Ilinca Vartic for PianoCareerAcademy.com, and in today's
step by step tutorial we will analyze and practice a romantic piece of a
remarkable expressive power: Chopin's challenging Nocturne in C minor, op. 48
No. 1. This advanced piece is full of technical difficulties, but the real
challenge is interpretation: bringing out the entire expressive spectrum encoded
in this extraordinary music. We have an exciting road ahead with many
mountaintops to conquer - so let's get started!
As always, first we set the scene: we create a clear mental map of the piece
by trying to understand its artistic concept, form and dramaturgy. This vision
will guide us every step of the way as we practice, making our work more
targeted, efficient and meaningful. With this piece, Chopin takes the genre of the
Nocturne to a grander scale. The tragic expression of a powerful grief - this is
the main concept, the red wire that connects all the sections of this very
complex and dramatic music. The Nocturne has an unusual, very organic ternary form.
We can divide it into three main sections, conventionally naming them A, B
and A1. Section A or the Exposition ends in bar 24. The middle section, Poco piu lento,
ends in bar 48, here - and the transformed Reprise, which we call
section A1 because it is very different from the Exposition, even
though it is based on the same Theme, begins in bar 49 with the indication Doppio
movimento, agitato. Now why did I call this form 'organic and unusual'? It's
because the sections are closely intertwined, and each in fragment is a
natural continuation of the previous one, picking up the dramatic development and
taking it further - so instead of a rounded traditional ternary form with
two very similar outer sections and a contrasting middle section we have
a linear development a continuous growth that gradually brings us to the main
dramatic culmination of the piece, that is found between bars 65 and 71. Now
let's see how this form is reflected in the dramaturgy of the piece. Do you
remember what dramaturgy is? It's the narrative, the drama, the way a musical
story unfolds and transforms, and also the interaction of all the emotional
images. Just like a written story has a beginning, a development of the main
characters, a conflict between them, a climax and a resolution the same thing
happens in every musical piece of real artistic value. As performers our main
duty is to identify this dramaturgy and express it in our playing - otherwise
everything we do risks being boring and lifeless. This Nocturne comprises a wide
spectrum of images and characters - ranging from tragic resignation to
dramatic collisions, from detached serenity to exaltation, from lyricism to
deep grief. I could even say that this Nocturne is a story of inner growth and
transformation. Let's see how it happens as we move from one section to the next
one. Quiet grief and hopeless pain - in my
opinion, this is the main emotional image of the exposition.
The tragedy can be felt from the very first notes, yet it is still a bit shy
and contained. A few other nuances are added to this foundation along the way -
and we will discuss all of them during the practice process - and Part A ends
with the first culmination from bars 21 to 24. This is the first little rebellion,
the first attempt to fight the implacable fate. The middle section
introduces a contrast of harmony and character: C Minor is replaced with C
Major, and the calm progression of the chorale takes us
to the dispassionate realm of the spiritual world: the human emotions seem
to have disappeared, and for a little while there is peace and luminous
contemplation. However this peace doesn't last very
long: in the second half of this section a new force collides with the serene
melody that was already introduced in bars 29 to 36. Like a violent wind
quickly approaching from afar, this rising chromatic movement with octaves
starts to overpower the melody until it completely takes over in bar 46.
It's amazing how Chopin combines these two contrasting musical images - the
peaceful melody and the tempestuous 16th note triplets. This collision, this
polyphonic fusion gives the music power. The intensity builds gradually until it
reaches the dramatic culmination from bars 45 to 48, that actually reminds us
of the raw energy of Liszt's works. So in only 48 measures a lifetime has passed.
By this time there is not much left from the quiet pain from the beginning. The
hero of the drama has found his inner power, has rising from the ashes, so to
speak, and the transformation is complete. Instead of returning to the sad
atmosphere of the Exposition, the Reprise continues the climax. The momentum of
this triplet motif is too strong to be stopped and its inertia carries over
into the accompaniment from section A1. Again we have a fusion of two
contrasting elements: the initial tragic theme of the Nocturne sounds entirely
different on top of the new rhythmical foundation of the restless, impetuous
triplet stream. We do have pianissimo in the beginning of the Reprise, which makes
this entire section particularly challenging from a technical point of
view, but the underlying character is still restlessness, agitato, raw power
waiting to emerge. The storyline continue,s and even though it does follow
the outline of the main melody, the emotional
intensity is now on a whole new level. The little rises and falls of each
individual phrase merge into one big wave that takes us to the pure force
from bars 65 to 71. This is both the main culmination and
the resolution of the piece; it is the free uninhibited expression of all the
pain accumulated in an entire lifetime. The hero lets it all out, it fills the
entire space, and after the exaltation passes we are left with the inevitable
conclusion from the last six bars: everything ends, and all must succumb to
the unforgiving laws of the universe. for Chopin this meant accepting the tragedy,
which is exactly what happens as the narrative ends with the three resigned
and deeply sad C Minor chords. What a masterful departure from the traditional
ternary form, and what a brilliantly outlined musical drama with its three
acts comprising an inspired story of character development and transformation.
This is obviously my subjective interpretation of this music, and you can
definitely invent other images, metaphors and associations. The important thing is
to HAVE a dramaturgy that is alive and full of meaning. And now that we know
WHAT we need to express, let's see HOW we can do it.
this was the first phrase and here we have three main challenges to overcome
the first one is to create this uninterrupted horizontal phrasing and a
good connection between notes despite the slow tempo the second one is to play
the melody in the singing manner and the third one is to achieve very good
technical comfort in the left hand so that these octaves or chords are played
in an effortless manner not being in the way of the right-hand melody not
preventing you from directing most of your focus to the theme I would start my
practice with the left hand and as I'm playing these octaves onwards the most
important thing here is anticipation these fluid transitions for example as
I'm playing the first octave I'm already anticipating and preparing the next one
and this fully transition naturally fills in the time necessary to cover
this distance so I'm not playing in such a manner or like this but I'm naturally
distributing my movements so they feel as comfortable as possible
always one step ahead
this may seem easy at first glance and indeed there is nothing technically
challenging here however having practiced this very well so that these
distances feel like you're second nature
another important thing here is to train this exactness in your fingertips so
that even though here we play everything very softly it's only the beginning of
the piece even the melody will be quite soft so the compliment has to be really
in the background so despite this soft sonority every note should sound clearly
and we achieve this by combining arm freedom and relaxation with the focus
here in our hand and fingers but the most important thing is of course the
focus of our hearing so if you can visualize every note every chord very
well we hear it especially when you practice hands
separately this will accelerate your progress and it's very important to not
forget about phrasing when you practice the left hand even though we don't have
a melody here just some accompaniment chords still you have to visualize this
an interrupted line that is very horizontal and this development of the
musical idea perspective so you're not playing one chord at a time always see
what's happening the head when you can play the left hand effortlessly without
any tension don't forget that the tension usually arises when you're not
sure of what you're doing when there's still some novelty involve some
clumsiness so as you become uncomfortable freedom will appear in
everything you do
and when this happens you can start practicing the right hand let's start
with the musical image we want to create this will make everything we do more
targeted I don't recommend playing the first phrase with a very deep super
singing tone straight away we will have enough time to get there as you move
through the first part of the piece let's start in a more intimate way as if
we're still testing the territory as if we're still careful in expressing this
inner pain that is reflected in this music so the pain is there but it's
really contained now let's see what we need to do from a technical point of
view for this phrase I would keep my fingertips just a bit flat this will
prevent the sound from being too piercing too expressive straight away at
the same time I'm playing in a free fluid matter with the arm behind each
note even though I'm not channeling a lot of weight here obviously because
this is a soft sonority and now the most important thing even when I'm playing
these first two notes that are separated by rests I make sure that my inner
hearing carries the musical idea all over the rest and connect everything
into one sentence so as I play this G I'm already pre hearing the a-flat and I
hear this connection between sounds and then back to G and from here
we actually have physical legato and we see you create this uninterrupted
connection as you play the melody from here
use the in tawny technique feeling how each note is being transferred into the
next one and this is done not only with the help of a risk navigation and also
by using a gradual and non percussive touch first and foremost it is done with
your mind with your hearing so if you can visualize how this G is being
transferred into the D and so on then it will be easier for you to polish your
movements until they allow you to bring out this vision make sure there is as
much freedom in my arm as possible i navigate everything horizontally I avoid
vertical wrist movements here and obviously in order to achieve
not only your sound goals your phrasing goals but also this freedom you'll have
to practice quite a bit again there is nothing technically difficult here
however from an expressive point of view this requires a lot of work but
considering that this is one of the most beautiful melodies ever written every
step of the way it can be super enjoyable now let's focus a bit more
about phrasing there are actually many ways to phrase this first musical idea
of the Nocturne a lot of the time we can easily identify a specific note were
couple of notes that we can consider the destination or culminating point of a
phrase or the logical accent here I don't recommend moving towards a
specific note and then away from it instead you have to create this rounded
wave without any specific target so to speak you can if you want to the
important thing is to have this horizontal movement to know where you're
headed and to express it in your plane so this is how I would phrase this the
first G is quite soft but obviously one will combine both hands together will
have to balance the sound intensity in such a way that is obviously brighter
than the accompaniment but this is softer than the notes that will follow
this a flat a bit deeper and three starts to unfold
as we play the sixteenth notes we can make just a tiny Christian dough just
enough to give the melody direction and here with this repeated C's here we
actually have a little challenge because if we pull a like this for example
moving towards this C there is a risk of interrupting the flow of the phrase so
on one hand you are moving towards here but as you play this first C you keep
going forward and then as you arrive to this G already the peak has passed and
approaching the end and this is the conclusion of the phrase really softly
but still a lot of clarity has to be present here and this grace note should
not be played to melodiously in this case but not too short either again if
you activate your hearing very well
everything will sound just right play the right hand as many times as needed
until you achieve this technical comfort expressive comfort you can do it with
pedal without hello according to your wishes
I actually recommend both methods because when we practice without paddle
we can hear everything much clearer we can hear the reality of what our fingers
are doing because the blurring effect of the pedal can be quite deceiving when
we're building the foundation of the piece when combining both hands together
we have to pay a lot of attention to our sound balance obviously
this G has to shine above these three nodes
therefore they displayed deeper and this freedom of key attack is very important
here because if you play in a more test matter close up to the keys your sound
would have a more metallic ring to it and we have to avoid this especially in
the first phrase so sound balance and we'll also focus on phrasing now
forward from the very first eyes now you can also play with the overtones these
deeper organs if you want without playing them too deeply obviously
let's play this one more time and now we have to remember about this inner state
this emotional image that we're trying to bring out remember
this is tragic this is about this contained yet very deep pain and as you
think about this you will notice about this instantly transforms your play
the reality or better said anticipated who is with your hearing hearing
everything you're playing your real-time so your hearing has to be at the same
time one step ahead and monitoring what's going on the next phrase is the
second wave and we can play it a bit brighter we're ascending to a slightly
higher level here you have to obviously practice hands separately never skip
this important step but I'll demonstrate hands together straightaway here it's
important to make a meaningful connection between these two phrases so
this phrase has ended and then a new idea starts and already as you play this
a flat there is just a bit of light in this
music in the first phrase we had seen are very sad minor tonality and here we
have E flat major so a beautiful brightness in the first note it's
another baby see on the melody now we can play it a bit brighter the fingertip
is more vertical which are a bit more weight here again we focus on filling
these spaces between notes despite the slow tempo and speaking
about tempo let's not forget we have went to here so this piece should not be
played let's say undone day and this foundation has to be reserved and yet in
this calmness there should be this inflatable forward movement in my
opinion this is the most difficult thing here especially if we talk about the
first part of the piece so you should hear this what an old pulsation and at
the same time everything is connected
this chord was now just a bit too loud when I played it so as we finish the
phrase to make sure that this girl does not interrupt the line of the melody the
second phrase already starts a bit bolder with a more open and piercing
sound and then we take its development even higher and as we reach the
culmination of this phrase which in this case we could say that it is here we can
allow ourselves to add some dramatic notes while playing and emphasize this a
little bit but it's also very important to hold your horses not reveal too much
yet there is still a long way to go so these are only the first shy attempts to
express this pain and this tragic content let's even deeper and then here
I like this fingering to connect with the fifth finger and as you do so again
listen how this a flows into this G I would remind you that this is impossible
from a purely physical point of view because every note inevitably fades away
after being played and we have to compensate for this physical limitation
of our instrument without hearing and the better you imagine the better touch
you will use for this note in such a way that you create this illusion of very
good continuity
and after this softly and yet clearly
and these are thirty-second notes here very clearly without arm weight with a
very clear finger articulation and the phrase has ended by the way in this
phrase in the left hand we have this element for the first time this quick
connection between octaves plate with one stroke and a little movement to the
right
these two phrases form like an introductory sentence an introductory
first statement of this Nocturne this was let's say the presentation of the
main character and starting from the third phrase the story starts to unfold
there will be more dynamic growth more movement towards the culmination of this
part and as we make the connection between phrases this one has met and the
new idea starts and develops this was one motive and here when playing this
melody already the first note is quite deep Chopin place is an accent here but
beware of percussiveness obviously you have to play it with a deep sound and as
you play this melody you can imagine that a violin plays this very melodious
connecting all the notes with one bow
this can be a bit awkward from a technical point of view so have to
practice this very well anticipation is Kia again and risk navigation
to acquire this beauty and as you play
and also use the magnifying glass for polishing all the turns and corners of
this layout and as we play this motive we obviously create around it for each
shape and we the next motif will keep building up the emotional intensity
don't be afraid to show this pace here we're gonna use one arm stroke to
connect these two octaves this can actually feel a bit too awkward in the
beginning so as you practice it you'll feel more comfortable try not to tense
up as you play this here however even though we're making these little rises
and falls for each individual motive still there should be a general dynamic
growth and also a growth of emotional intensity so as the story starts to
unfold this is the first step
but a lets me play this flat here the music lady up continuous we go here a
beautiful breathtaking quiet combination now let's return to bar 11 I recommend
practicing the right hand very well here
so that this is sending movement is played in a very plastic fluid manner
without any tension or awkwardness and that there are no technical obstacles in
your way to being a very beautiful singing manner as if a violin plays this
melody also pay attention to the pace of the left hand so we have
we grow and then even as I make the window it is e so we're not going back
to the tonic we're going to the sixth chord to the first inversion so we had
these steps and then a
yeah finally we resolved everything in the second world of f-minor which is the
sub-dominant of c minor without going into too many harmonic details it's very
useful to listen to the harmonies this is a very important thing that you
should do throughout practicing this entire piece because Chopin uses rich
very beautiful very expressive harmonies and by listening very well you will
considerably enrich your performance only this little shift of awareness can
make a big difference and these octaves are obviously the foundation of each
harmony so be aware of this in most of Chopin's pieces there are always hidden
polyphonic elements therefore even the accompaniment has its own development
its own melodic line so to speak this connection by the way as you play this
heartbeat Chaka voice this opera with because the melody goes like this this
is what you have to track with your hearing and this are just ancillary
nodes just ornaments we never rush them too much in playing Chopin's music we
listen to them as if there are parts of the melody but still we have to have
this view from above and not get lost among all the little notes
it was forward pay special attention to your pedal here here I lift it and only
press it a bit later so not change it directly like this sonority can be a bit
dirty but if you're hearing is active at all times your pedaling will always be
clear let's not forget that pedaling is first of all a question of hearing
and another little technical element as you play these two E's make sure you
don't lose the second one which is something I noticed I was doing when
practicing this piece but at the same time it has to be softer than the
previous a flat story continues and here play the first note quite deeply and
then grow a little bit as you play this again in a very singin manner for me it
helps to imagine that this is played again with one boat by violinist really
pay attention to sound balance here here the distribution is a bit close together
so there should be a big gap of sound intensity between melody and
accompaniment
it should be very soft I recommend making a little tenuto and making it on
this gene so don't place a comma so to speak before this note as this will
create an unnatural gap in the flow of the musical idea instead listen to this
new harmonic color and to this new dynamic intensity and let's not forget
that dynamic intensities are not just about the number of decibels first and
foremost they express a certain character a certain state so we were
growing here and you would expect something like this and this is actually
something you can do if you want to remember there's a lot of flexibility in
the way you interpret this music however I do recommend the quiet culmination
approach if done masterfully it will give the audience boos bumps it's a very
good expressive trick to use
and here please note is that because I don't have big hands and I cannot
possibly reach it 10th I'm taking this up or a flat with my right hand and it
will be like this it's quite comfortable once you get used to it
it's much better than playing
listen to it very well and don't leap like from a machine gun so to speak to
be very expressive
several versions of dramaturgy and resulting dynamics you've even noticed
that many great pianists clearly spot differently personally I like this
version making just a little bit of growth and as we play this D here please
notice this doesn't sound like an ending from a harmonic point of view it's a
continuation so I would add to the dramatic intensity here little bars here
everything is still peaceful but you see these two octaves are more dramatic
here you can even reach an approximate metaphor please notice what I'm doing in
order to be able to play these octaves without any clumsiness
the supper see in the right hand there is nothing wrong with that and here I
have another interesting suggestion about her Mataji after playing this
quite powerful don't hurry to play the first note of
the next phrase listen to this very well allow this note to fade away just a
little bit and then play dodging as indicated in the score until here the
grief and the tragic element were intensified and in the phrase that
follows a little dreamy episode appears it's like a shy ray of light in the
midst of this gloom so let's try to play it in a dreamy manner how will this
sound a little quiet combination as we play
this
imagine that there is an inner smile in you so until here everything goes sad
very serious and now this is like a bright memory a very distant one but it
does bring a smile to the face of our hero of the hero of this story to voice
this G very well please notice that here I'm taking this a flat with my right
hand again makes everything very comfortable so
I can play with the Tim for just a little bit here we obviously use Roboto
throughout playing the entire Nocturne but here you can allow yourself a bit
more capricious for bottle I like playing this grace note not like
this but sound again more elegant and from here we gradually return to the
tragic element again after this we prepare so from here we start preparing
the culmination of the first part of the piece let's connect this phrase I would
even take it from here
I listen to the horror when he is they are so beautiful hair the way Chopin
uses these seventh chords
so listen to these harmonies very well enjoy them as you play don't simply pass
them by leading with the melody here you will feel this natural need to start
playing in a more dramatic manner straightaway but beware of this trap
again hold your horses this is only the beginning of the culminating phrase so
we have not arrived yet we're still getting there so this is an
approximate metal yard oh and please notice we have a tiny help in the
meanwhile endo here that would allow us to gain that dynamic space to return to
a lower level from where we can grow and reach 14 bar 23 this has to be practiced
very well and separately obviously from a technical point of view this is the
most uncomfortable release from the entire first part of the piece maybe
except for this spot here and in the right hand we have a little bit of
polyphony here you have to notice it and bring it out in your playing this is
natural
then moves into this air so it's just a little motive to notes but it is there
it enriches the musical texture and it has to be heard in your playing you know
end of here and then we start growing
into the Syrian atmosphere of the middle section let's work on this last phrase a
bit more so this is the beginning of the phrase
now I used quite a bit of Roboto I recommend playing in a more even manner
as you practice in order to have this confidence there's very clear vision of
what happens here and also when I play these the triplet structures I need to
play them with a bit more fold movement but as you practice play them so as not
to go too far from what Japan has indicated in the score remember that the
good Roboto should always be based on very strong rhythmical pillars so those
pillars should never be broken and you should not forget what the original riff
indicated in the score is from the point of view of fingering you have to
purchase here in my score I have two second fingers in a row here which is
not a bad version you can connect everything with the help of the pedal
with the help of your hearing I also like playing like this yes this note is
held down with the plus it's only an eighth-note so choose
the version that feels best for you not to mention that if you have bigger hands
this version will feel better for you probably but if you have smaller hands
like I do you're probably quite handy with all sorts of hand position changes
that help you to play in a more compact manner and as you keep practicing as you
keep using the magnifying glass method for each and every motive and phrase
don't forget about this general pulsation of the piece about this
implacable movement of time
there's a lot of tension in these bars here and here we make a big team in a
way be seen once of first don't forget to change the pedal on each one while
keeping this octave held down with your left hand know these ladies first order
the middle section we still have to voice the upper voice but we'll talk
more about this in the second part of the tutorial so as you can see each and
every phrase from this section has its own micro dramaturgy has its own inner
story growth culmination and ending and at the same time they're connected in
this big structure which is the dramaturgy of this first big section of
the piece in the first practice stage you will focus more on each individual
phrase and all those micro details that you have to polish in your playing and
as you acquire more comfort and freedom you will gradually connect everything in
build structures and try to see the forest so to speak bringing out the
dramatic G which we will recap right now so we start
this feeling of quite pain then a bit brighter the second phrase is braver
not much these two phrases together form the introduction the story starts to
unfold
and Ichiro did we go higher we're quiet combination
Oh
the total change of scenery thank you so much for watching and I hope that you
enjoyed the first part of this tutorial parts two and three where I show you how
to practice the middle section and the represe in a step-by-step manner can be
found on piano career academy comm you will learn how to master that PG at
Ward's the impetuous movement with object reference
and of course the challenging multi-layered ruthless
it enjoyed my piano coaching program by clicking on the link in the description
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lifestyle thank you again so much for watching don't forget to like this video
if it was helpful for you share your thoughts in the comments below and have
a very inspired practice see you soon bye
you
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