Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48 No. 1

The piece

Three episodes, three moods. The opening, Lento and mezza voce, sets out a low, restrained melody over steady chords. The middle, in C major, Poco più lento and sotto voce, is a chorale of full chords, soon cut through by surges of octaves that make it swell. Finally the first theme returns doppio movimento, agitato: the melody is the same, but the repeated triplet chords beneath it make it breathless. Noctave follows the first Breitkopf & Härtel edition here, save for a few adapted notes.

This is a piece of chords and octaves: nearly a third of the attacks are chords, and there are 577 octaves, 348 of them in the left hand. In the chorale, each chord should sound blended, with the top voice above; do not strike the key, sink into it with the weight of your arm. Some chords exceed the octave, up to 17 semitones: roll them very quickly rather than forcing the stretch. In the agitato return, everything tightens: the repeated right-hand chords must stay light so the melody on top keeps its line.