Gracious, even coquettish, is the first part of the B major
Nocturne of this opus. Well knit, the passionate intermezzo has
the true dramatic Chopin ring. It should be taken alla breve. The
ending is quite effective.
I do not care much for the F major Nocturne, op. 15, No. I. The
opus is dedicated to Ferdinand Hiller. Ehlert speaks of "the
ornament in triplets with which he brushes the theme as with the
gentle wings of a butterfly," and then discusses the artistic
value of the ornament which may be so profitably studied in the
Chopin music. "From its nature, the ornament can only beautify
the beautiful." Music like Chopin's, "with its predominating
elegance, could not forego ornament. But he surely did not
purchase it of a jeweller; he designed it himself, with a
delicate hand. He was the first to surround a note with diamond
facets and to weave the rushing floods of his emotions with the
silver beams of the moonlight. In his nocturnes there is a
glimmering as of distant stars. From these dreamy, heavenly gems
he has borrowed many a line.
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