Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 sheet music

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849), Level 10 · Advanced, 3:22

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What changed in this conversion
  • Some held notes in bars 31, 36 are shown shorter because that hand plays more than one rhythm at once. No notes were removed.
Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2, keyboard staff, page 1 of 7Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849). Regular keyboard staff. Print at 100%, not fit-to-page.CCDDEFFGGAABBold red line: C4 · Solid line: other Cs, D F G A · Dotted grey line: E | F and B | CC3C5C6128B♭GFGFE♭B♭GCCGB♭A♭GE♭E♭GGE♭B♭E♭DA♭A♭DBE♭E♭GGE♭B♭DE♭GGE♭B♭CEGGEB♭CEGB♭ECFD♭FED♭B♭FCFFCA♭C3C5C63FGDE♭CB♭DCB♭A♭GA♭CDE♭B♭B♭DFA♭DB♭BFGGFDCE♭GGE♭CAE♭G♭G♭E♭CB♭E♭FA♭E♭B♭B♭DFA♭B♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭C3C5C65GFGFEFGFE♭E♭FE♭DE♭FGBCD♭CFEA♭GD♭CGB♭A♭GE♭E♭GGE♭B♭E♭DA♭A♭DBE♭E♭GGE♭B♭DE♭GGE♭B♭CEGGEB♭CEGB♭ECFD♭FED♭B♭FCFFCA♭"Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2" by Frédéric Chopin. Typeset by Renato Biolcati Rinaldi for The Mutopia Project (https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=1590). Licensed under Creative CommonsAttribution-ShareAlike 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 · Page 1 of 7
Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2, keyboard staff, page 2 of 7C3C5C67FFFEFGGDE♭CB♭DCB♭A♭GA♭A♭CDE♭DE♭B♭DFA♭DB♭BFGGFDCE♭GGE♭CAE♭G♭G♭E♭CB♭E♭FA♭E♭B♭B♭DFA♭B♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭C3C59FGFFCE♭E♭E♭E♭DE♭FE♭E♭B♭B♭DFFDB♭B♭DFFDB♭ACFFCACFFCA♭CE♭E♭CA♭A♭BE♭E♭BA♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭C3C511B♭AGAFB♭DGE♭ADACADFB♭G♭BEBEB♭CFACA♭DA♭DGB♭E♭ED♭EGD♭B♭ECEGCB♭FE♭FFE♭CGDGGDB♭CE♭GGE♭CFE♭FFE♭CDB♭E♭AA♭GE♭CFFB♭"Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2" by Frédéric Chopin. Typeset by Renato Biolcati Rinaldi for The Mutopia Project (https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=1590). Licensed under Creative CommonsAttribution-ShareAlike 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 · Page 2 of 7
Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2, keyboard staff, page 3 of 7C3C5C613GAB♭BB♭D♭DGFFE♭E♭FE♭DE♭FGBCD♭CFEA♭GD♭CGB♭A♭GE♭E♭GGE♭B♭E♭DA♭A♭DB♭E♭E♭GGB♭DE♭GGE♭B♭CEGGEB♭CEGB♭ECFD♭FED♭B♭FCFFCA♭C3C5C615FFFEFGGDE♭CB♭DD♭CBB♭AA♭FDBB♭DGFE♭E♭DE♭B♭DFA♭DB♭BFGGFDCE♭GGE♭CAE♭G♭G♭E♭CB♭E♭FA♭E♭B♭B♭DFA♭DB♭E♭E♭GGB♭E♭E♭GGB♭C3C517FGFFCE♭E♭E♭E♭E♭DE♭FE♭E♭B♭B♭DFFDB♭B♭DFFDB♭ACFFCACFFCA♭CE♭E♭CA♭A♭BE♭E♭BA♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭"Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2" by Frédéric Chopin. Typeset by Renato Biolcati Rinaldi for The Mutopia Project (https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=1590). Licensed under Creative CommonsAttribution-ShareAlike 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 · Page 3 of 7
Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2, keyboard staff, page 4 of 7C3C519B♭AGAFB♭DGE♭ADACADFB♭G♭BEBEB♭CFACA♭DA♭DGB♭E♭ED♭EGD♭B♭ECEGCB♭FE♭FAE♭CGDGB♭DB♭CE♭GGE♭CFE♭FFE♭CDB♭E♭AA♭GE♭CFFB♭C3C5C621GAB♭BB♭D♭DGFFE♭E♭FE♭DE♭FGBCD♭CFEA♭GD♭CGGB♭A♭GE♭E♭GGE♭B♭E♭DA♭A♭DB♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭DE♭GGE♭B♭CEGGEB♭CEGB♭ECFD♭B♭FED♭B♭FCFFCA♭C3C5C623FFFEFGGDE♭CB♭DD♭CBB♭AA♭AB♭BCD♭DGFE♭E♭B♭DFA♭DB♭BFGGFDCE♭GGE♭CAE♭G♭G♭E♭CB♭E♭FA♭E♭B♭B♭DFA♭DB♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭"Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2" by Frédéric Chopin. Typeset by Renato Biolcati Rinaldi for The Mutopia Project (https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=1590). Licensed under Creative CommonsAttribution-ShareAlike 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 · Page 4 of 7
Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2, keyboard staff, page 5 of 7C3C5C625E♭FE♭FGE♭E♭FE♭FE♭FGE♭E♭DCE♭E♭BA♭A♭E♭BE♭E♭BA♭A♭E♭BE♭E♭GGE♭B♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭E♭E♭BA♭A♭E♭BE♭E♭BA♭A♭E♭BE♭E♭B♭GGE♭B♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭C3C5C627B♭AA♭CDE♭FE♭DE♭E♭GFE♭DCBB♭AAA♭A♭GGFE♭E♭DFA♭B♭E♭DFA♭B♭E♭E♭GGB♭AE♭FFE♭CB♭E♭FA♭E♭B♭B♭DFA♭DB♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭C3C5C6C73329E♭E♭FE♭FE♭FFFE♭FGE♭A♭B♭A♭GA♭BE♭A♭E♭FGE♭E♭E♭E♭E♭DDCCA♭BA♭E♭E♭BA♭A♭E♭BE♭BA♭BA♭E♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭A♭BA♭E♭E♭BA♭BA♭E♭E♭BA♭BA♭E♭E♭E♭GGE♭B♭AE♭FFE♭B"Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2" by Frédéric Chopin. Typeset by Renato Biolcati Rinaldi for The Mutopia Project (https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=1590). Licensed under Creative CommonsAttribution-ShareAlike 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 · Page 5 of 7
Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2, keyboard staff, page 6 of 7C3C5C6C731BBB♭B♭AAA♭A♭GGDDE♭E♭E♭E♭E♭E♭FFCCBBB♭B♭B♭B♭B♭E♭B♭FA♭E♭B♭BFGGFDCE♭GGCAE♭CFFE♭CB♭B♭FA♭DB♭FA♭DDC3C5C6C733B♭B♭BB♭CABB♭CABB♭CABB♭CABB♭CABB♭CABB♭CABB♭CABB♭CABB♭CABB♭CADC3C5C6C735BB♭CABB♭DCB♭AA♭GFDE♭BB♭A♭CDGE♭B♭GGE♭B♭GGE♭B♭GGE♭B♭GE♭B♭B♭E♭B♭B♭E♭B♭B♭E♭B♭B♭"Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2" by Frédéric Chopin. Typeset by Renato Biolcati Rinaldi for The Mutopia Project (https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=1590). Licensed under Creative CommonsAttribution-ShareAlike 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 · Page 6 of 7
Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2, keyboard staff, page 7 of 7C3C5C637GE♭GE♭GE♭E♭B♭E♭B♭E♭"Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2" by Frédéric Chopin. Typeset by Renato Biolcati Rinaldi for The Mutopia Project (https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=1590). Licensed under Creative CommonsAttribution-ShareAlike 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 · Page 7 of 7
Painted portrait of Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin. Eugène Delacroix, 1838. Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.

Key facts

Level
Level 10 · Advanced. Graded: RCM Celebration Series 2022 Level 9
Time signature
12/8
Key signature
3 flats
Length
38 bars, 7 pages
Playing time
3:22
Notes
1,242
Range
G#1 to D#7
  • The source file does not write out repeats, so marked repeats sound and show once.

Source and licence

This keyboard staff edition and its PDF are shared under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, the same licence as the source.

"Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2" by Frédéric Chopin. Typeset by Renato Biolcati Rinaldi for The Mutopia Project. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0.

Source: The Mutopia Project, from the edition G. Schirmer, New York, 1881.

Playback sounds: Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm (CC BY 3.0); Upright Piano KW by Gonzalo and Roberto of FreePats (CC0 1.0); Fluid R3 GM by Frank Wen and contributors (CC BY 3.0). Full sound credits.

How to play Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2

A song without words for the right hand, with a left hand that leaps like a dancer. This is an advanced level, but its pattern is very regular.

Where your hands go

It is in E♭ major, three flats, and in 12/8: twelve eighth notes in a bar, felt as four beats of three.

Left hand: every beat is one low note and two chords above it, such as E♭2, then G3 and E♭4, then B♭3, E♭4, G4 in bar 1. That is a jump of more than an octave each time.

Right hand: the melody starts on the pickup B♭4 and rises to G5.

The tricky bars

Bars 1–2
Learn the left-hand leap here, low note to chord to chord, until your hand finds the chords without looking.
Bar 12
The right hand plays pairs of notes together, such as G4 and E♭5, over the moving left hand.
Bar 16
A fast run falls from D6 to B♭4. Fit it in by ear, not by counting every note.
Bar 24
The run comes back, longer and with a different ending.
Bar 31
Octaves in the right hand, falling from B5 and B6.
Bars 33–34
The cadenza: the right hand repeats the same four notes, B6, B♭6, C7, A6, over and over, high on the keyboard.

Your practice plan

  1. Left hand alone, bars 1 to 4, at half speed with the Speed control. This pattern carries the whole piece.
  2. Right hand alone, bars 0 to 4, singing the line.
  3. Hands together, two bars at a time.
  4. Learn the runs in bars 16 and 24 separately, slowly, then fit them in.
  5. Play it through with Listen on.

Watch out for

  • Letting the left-hand chords cover the melody. The melody leads; the chords stay soft.
  • Losing the four-beat feel of 12/8 and counting twelve separate beats.
  • Starting the runs in bars 16 and 24 too early and arriving before the left hand.

Power-up: press Loop, tap the first and last of the tricky bars, and they repeat until they feel easy. Hands in Options lets you practise one hand at a time. New to the notation? Start with how to read keyboard staff, then how to practise piano.