Noctave
The piece
In German, Erster Verlust: the first loss. The title does not say what was lost, and the music is careful not to tell. Marked Nicht schnell (not fast), this E minor piece opens with a melody alone in the right hand, which the left then joins with tied notes spilling over into the next beat. Toward the end it tightens into accented chords before fading out in the bass.
The tune begins on an upbeat: the first eighth, G, leads into the downbeat without an accent. The short slurs of two or three notes are sighs; lean on the first note and lighten the last. The left hand comes in with syncopations, notes tied across the bar line: hold them for their full value, since their rub against the melody is where the feeling comes from. At barely more than two notes per second in the right hand, you have time to listen to each voice. Before the accented chords at the end, do not slow down too early; keep the tension until the last moment.