What Is a Nocturne? (And the Best Ones to Learn)

If you've ever heard a piece of piano music that sounds like a quiet room at midnight — a singing melody floating over a gently rippling accompaniment — you've heard a nocturne. Here's what the word actually means, where the form came from, and which nocturnes are worth learning first.

The definition

A nocturne is a musical composition inspired by, or evocative of, the night. (Wikipedia)

Nocturnes are generally thought of as tranquil, often expressive and lyrical, and sometimes rather gloomy — though that isn't an absolute rule, and some nocturnes convey quite different moods. (Wikipedia)

Where the form came from

The Irish composer John Field is generally viewed as the father of the Romantic nocturne. He wrote 18 of them and established the form's characteristic texture: **a singing (cantabile) melody over an arpeggiated, almost guitar-like accompaniment**. (Wikipedia)

Frédéric Chopin then became the most famous exponent of the form, writing 21 nocturnes of his own. (Wikipedia) For most listeners today, "nocturne" simply means "a Chopin nocturne."

What that means for your hands

The classic nocturne texture is genuinely useful to understand as a player, because it tells you how to practise one:

The left hand plays a wide, rolling broken-chord pattern — steady and even, almost like a harp.
The right hand sings a long melody on top, often with increasingly elaborate decoration each time it returns.

So the practice plan writes itself: get the left-hand ripple even and automatic first, then lay the melody over it.

Nocturnes to learn

Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 — Chopin (medium) The famous one, and the best place to start. Chopin wrote the three Op. 9 nocturnes in 1831–32 and published them in 1832, dedicated to Madame Marie Pleyel; No. 2 is often regarded as his single most famous piece, and he was only about twenty when he composed it. (Wikipedia))

Nocturne No. 20 in C-sharp minor — Chopin (medium) Slower, sparer and deeply melancholy — a good second nocturne, and less ornamented than Op. 9 No. 2.

Nocturne Op. 27 No. 2 — Chopin (hard) Composed in 1836 and published in 1837, this is one of his most admired: a lyrical melody spun out with intricate ornamentation over flowing accompaniment. (Wikipedia)) Save it for when you're comfortable.

Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1 and Op. 9 No. 3 (hard) complete the famous set.

How to practise a nocturne

Left hand first, and even. The rippling accompaniment must be smooth and unhurried — it's the bed the melody lies on.
Sing the melody (out loud, badly, it doesn't matter). If you can sing its shape, your hands will phrase it better.
Loop the ornaments. Where the melody gets decorated, drill just that bar with the A–B loop.
Play it quietly and slowly. Nocturnes reward control far more than speed.

▶ Start with the famous one: Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 in letter notes · Or browse the full library