Chopin Nocturne G minor Op. 15 no. 3 - Analysis: A MOODY MAZURKA

[@trethtower]

Always loved listening to and playing this Nocturne. It was a delightful surprise to hear and see this Nocturne played in the great film `The Deer Hunter` in such a meaningful way. Great analysis and performance Henrik. Thanks for all you bring to us.

[@zoe.h.nelson04]

As someone who grew up in the church, the chorale section really felt like home in a way I couldn't describe the first time I heard it. I know nothing really about different types of classical compositions, but you can really feel the 'churchiness' of a good chorale. Also thanks for looking at so many of the nocturnes, not just the famous ones. Many of my favourites such as this are less well known.

[@adamsfisher7916]

I’ve been playing this piece for a while, I was waiting for an intelligent and meaningful interpretation. Thank you so much 😊

[@SonataSecrets]

Thanks Adam, I'm glad you like my interpretation! :)

[@jackiepike1466]

Of all of Chopin's body of work, this is perhaps the one that resonates more with me, being a Bach fanatic...thanks so much for your wonderful insights!

[@sillytu6639]

The section with accented octaves is probably the best calm music moment ever. I shed a tear everytime i hear it.

[@amateursoundz6262]

I'm like you - I overlooked this piece, but slowly grew to love it!

[@Hjominbonrun]

one of my favourite pastoral sections in all of music. You did fantastic work with it. What I mean is, some music you can do something and listen simultaneously.. The pastoral section here, I cannot resist, but to stop everything and just focus on the music.

[@kylewang293]

Absolutely gorgeous! Simple, delicate and yet rich.

[@margarethansen7480]

I loved the explanations you made about this Nocturne!! Thanks for that video❤

[@england670]

Thank you for explaining the notes & chords to Chopins music. I love your interpretations and some history about the music. I’m subscribed for sure

[@andrewjohnthorpe1462]

An excellent analysis of this nocturne. I shall continue playing this beautiful piece.

[@AndreaAbelian]

I found this piece while watching deer hunter and it inspired me to start learning piano! I am trying to teach myself so my progress is a bit slow but videos like this are helpful for really understanding the music! 😃👍

[@SonataSecrets]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! That's a cool scene, using this piece to put an end to the party ;)

[@recbeatloop]

It is clear that Chopin has written the long notes in the first part primary to convince epigons to find their own melodie, a nice example of interactiv composing. If someone plays that notes without the sudden urge to modulate them he is for sure no composer himself! :)

[@DeflatingAtheism]

What a fascinating piece! With the non-recurrence of thematic material, you could almost call it a fantasia in miniature!

[@margarethansen7480]

Thanks for this brilhant analysis and excellent interpretation!❤❤❤

[@historicalpiano]

As I remember, Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz writes that the "Mazurka" part is actually a polish harvest song. It is interesting how Chopin incorporated the folk songs and the church songs into his works (another famous example is the middle part of the Scherzo in b minor, the "majore" part, which is actually a well-known old Polish Christmas song first notated in the 16th century...)

[@jacobjackson5093]

love this video.. thank you for your explanation! I absolutely love the "religioso" section.. the music is so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes.

[@carlosbacktothepiano]

Great analisys. Thank you!

[@Mazurking]

This nocturne is so lovely

[@yasaman7264]

Thanks for this great combination of knowledge and performance 🌸

[@paulamariapineda7553]

Muchas gracias. Por tu análisis. Será de gran ayuda.

[@dhonrahman3421]

Thanks for your video and explanations. Like others commented below, you are on the faster side for the interpretation. I like the idea of the mazurka rythm you develop, but still feel that this piece is very tragic. It is called shakespearean in other places, and I read that he would have written this after seeing a representation of Hamlet. I guess the tragic feeling comes from the difference between the lighter parts such as the beginning mazurka, after which we move from surprises to surprises through the modulations, until reaching the climactic descending diminished chords. There the attempts at "normal" (the echoes of the mazurka rythm) are implaccably capped, until realizing the fate and finally resolving into the "religious" part after descending down half a tone. This would be sort of an end to the struggle and acceptance of our condition. That's a very soothing part after what just happened. The way I see it though, troubles are not over yet, and I would say that the fz part is some type of societal judgement, with a leader sentencing and the crowd approving in response, before a compromise is finally reached and the healing process "completes". Not sure what the guilt is about...maybe it would just be impossible to continue with such simple and beautiful melody as in the first part.

[@MrChris76ize]

wow ! It gives me gosse bumps. I'm slowly learning how to play it. It helps, thanks a lot

[@jeffsmith1798]

First, thank you for a wonderful exposition of this beautiful piece. I have two suggestions on the performance: take the tempo down a bit slower and also really emphasize the accents. I find this nocturne has a singing plaintive quality that really comes out this way. Rubinstein’s interpretation really captures this for example. Also, I believe Chopin is capturing a unique duality with this piece. One of the earthly represented by the mazurka rhythm first section and the heavenly represented by the chorale section. I believe this is one of a very few sections where Chopin calls out religioso. I love your observation about the ending, one of hopefulness.

[@SpaghettiToaster]

It should be noted that the section around 9:05 also seems to have inspired Rachmaninoff's magnificent Op 32 no. 10 prelude.

[@TonosobreTono]

Thanks, Maestro!

[@riminy258]

Brilliant analysis, thanks for this.

[@ddjjuull]

Very interresting, thank you.

[@MarianoStatelloPiano]

Thank you🤗🤗🤗

[@youmiau]

I lke your channel very much. I stydy thi spiece and I need some help. Would you tell me about the pedaling in the las 32 bars, the last section of the piece, the las page. Dou you use any pedal o you just make the legato with your fingers which is difficult and tricky. Thanko you so much for your work.

[@SonataSecrets]

Thank you, I'm happy you like the channel! Yes, finger legato on the long notes is the only way to be able to play the chords staccato. I use pedal on the 3rd beat leading to the next bar so I don't need finger legato on the lower notes of those chords (and 3-4-5 on top works).

[@ericrakestraw664]

This is a good example of a through-composed piece since the mazurka theme never returns after the chorale section. Can you think of any other Chopin pieces that do this?

[@analuciacastanovelasquez8720]

Ameisin bro

[@poplife123]

Nice overview of piece....Interested in your Pedal use......especially the sostenuto pedal and the held notes at the end of the piece....what is your advice?

[@SonataSecrets]

Thanks! Well, you need to hold the long notes in the fingers and release the pedal for the staccato chords. I use pedal on the 3rd beat to the next bar so I don't need finger legato on those chords (so 5-5 on the top there).

[@nitzaspira]

I liked your interpretation and playing.

[@SonataSecrets]

Thank you :)

[@williamtajibnapis7571]

I have played this piece for a while, and have some questions. I should point out that I am very much an amateur pianist. Chopin's Polonaise Op.40 No. 1 is as difficult a piece that I can play, the famous Military Polonaise is completely beyond my ability. Is "lento" really that fast generally, or are you playing this piece faster than other Lentos? I have been playing it at about half that speed. Also in the chorale section where the notes are marked fz> I have been playing those notes much louder, since Fz stands for sforzando which I thought meant "very loud." Is this just a matter of personal taste, or I have simply been playing it wrong? I never much cared for the Mazurka part, but always loved the Chorale part. Your comments have helped me appreciate the Mazurka part much more, and the speed at which you play it makes it sound much better. I have been playing the Chorale part with extensive use of the pedal, I guess I was cheating. Recently I played it as written, without any pedal, and did not like it. I see from the comments that you do use the pedal a little in that section, even though no pedal is called for in the score. Any thoughts on when it is appropriate to add pedal even when the score doesn't call for it?

[@SonataSecrets]

You have several quite big questions there which I will try to answer. First, I feel Lento here is meant as one beat per bar (specified in my score as dotted half note = 60, I'm not sure that's by Chopin though). Maybe I play it slightly faster at some places that is in line with my Mazurka interpretation. If you feel the lento on quarter notes then it's much slower. Second, yes fz means loud accent, but it's also a matter of taste to integrate it within the texture, and here I give more weight to the legato line and I don't want it too dramatic. But you can definately play it more extroverted than I do for sure. Finally, as you can see in other comments the pedal is tricky in this piece. Generally if it's not written out it can still be implied as just a tool on the instrument to enhance the sound written in the score. The implied use depends a bit on the style, but generally you need to change pedal between different harmonies and depending on the melody sometimes even within a harmony.

[@williamtajibnapis7571]

@@SonataSecrets Thanks for your thoughtful response. My score also shows the dotted minim = 60, I just went with what felt to me like Lento -- as you said, who knows what Chopin meant. Following your example, I used the pedal a lot less in the second half, and that did make the held notes (the tolling bells) stand out much more. I really appreciate being able to get advice from a professional pianist like you. So I am going to venture a question about a different Chopin piece, the Grande Valse Brilliante Op.18. In my score certain passages that are repeated throughout the score, sometimes are shown with pedal, and sometimes not. And there is no "Ped. simile" marked anywhere. This doesn't make any sense to me. I have tried watching videos of this piece being played, and it seems that those passages are always pedaled. When I play, they don't sound as good when not pedaled. Your thoughts?

[@mythun6735]

Very interesting that the C# F# E# is played staccato before the religioso section. These are notated in every edition I've seen (at least the first two notes) as being legato, with the E# staccato. I find that playing all three of these notes staccato provides a very off-putting texture, but to each their own.

[@kaumowammu]

I really want to understand bars 69 to 76. So far I see the repeating pedal bass (c#); I see the melody in the first three bars rising in whole steps. Then it gets confusing. It all ends in this stacked minor thirds that resolve to a C#-9 chord. I tried asking chatgtp. And it wasn't bad giving a general analysis and even pointing me to authors and books (which is astonishing) but failed to produce an exact technical analysis.

[@elijahj9902]

Wow beautiful playing and interpretation. I would also play a little faster. Chopin wrote 60 beats per measure, which could be calculated as 180 beats per whole note (presto).

[@SonataSecrets]

Thank you!

[@PianoScenesMoviesandSeries]

That's not really lento, but nevertheless, very nice video

[@MariaWilliams-h7e]

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