Noctave
The piece
Chopin published his three Nocturnes, Op. 9, in 1832, soon after arriving in Paris, with a dedication to Marie Pleyel. The second, in E-flat major, has become the most played of them all: an opera singer's melody over a rocking accompaniment in 12/8. This easy version, arranged for Noctave after the 1880 Breitkopf & Härtel edition, keeps the theme, repeated, the second idea and the return of the theme, without the ornaments Chopin adds each time it comes back.
The right hand sings; it starts with a B-flat pickup, then holds G for four eighths before stepping down. Watch the big leap in bar 2, from C to the C an octave above: get your fifth finger ready. The left hand simplifies the original into two gestures per beat: the bass, then two notes higher up, held until the next beat. The leaps in the bass are the real difficulty; practise them alone, looking at the keyboard, before playing them under the melody, at 112 eighths per minute.