<a href="http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Nocturne-Op.9-No.2a1.docx">Nocturne Op.9 No.2a</a>

Nocturne Op.9 No.2

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The Nocturne Op.9 No.2 by Frederic Chopin pertaining to “Music Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9, No. 2 Chopin Nocturnes, Opus 9 Written 1830-1832 as a dedication to Madame Camille Pleyel” ( Prezi.com) Madame Camille Pleyel shown in the picture above. “Thanks to the more direct contact between the hammer and the string, the simple escapement action, constantly improved by Camille Pleyel and Kalkbrenner, assured a more exact control than the “double escapement” invented and patented (1822) by Erard” (Eigeldinger). Chopin created over 200 works of art in his life time. “The Nocturne in E flat major, though certainly not the most beautiful of Chopin’s nocturnes, is perhaps the most popular, ‘this charming bagatelle did more for the popularity of Chopin than all his other works”(Information center). Chopin’s work especially Nocturne Op.9 No.2 should be preserved for future generations because Chopin is without a doubt, one of a kind, and still to this day his music will move you.

“Improvisational effects from piano figurations in the nocturnes; and episodic, vigorous writing in the larger works such as the scherzos, ballades, impromptus, and the Fantasy. Thus, in an era when the piano was becoming the preeminent solo instrument in both the home and the concert hall, Chopin devised new figurations, delicate traceries, and elaborate quasivocal fioriture and fashioned them for use at the keyboard. He wrote no symphonies, no operas, no string quartets, and only one trio (piano, violin, and cello).” (Encyclopedia)
Chopin’s work “If the nineteenth century was the age of Romantic individualism, it was also the age of the virtuoso: composers wrote music that might be performed gracefully and accurately only by individuals with extraordinary technical skills. The quintessential example of this phenomenon is the Polish-born composer Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849). At the age of seven, Chopin gave his first piano concert in Warsaw. Slight in build even as an adult, Chopin had small hands that nevertheless could reach across the keys of the piano like “the jaws of a snake”(Fiero, ch. 29)
Chopin’s work was received as a musical genius of the time. “In his brief lifetime—he died of tuberculosis at the age of thirty-nine—Chopin created an entirely personal musical idiom linked to the expressive potential of the modern piano. For the piano, Chopin wrote over 200 pieces, most of which were short keyboard works, such as dances, préludes, nocturnes (slow, songlike pieces), impromptus (pieces that sound improvised), and études (instrumental studies designed to improve a player's technique). His Etude in G-flat Major, Opus 10, No. 5, is a breathtaking piece that challenges the performer to play very rapidly on the black keys, which are less than half the width of the white ones.”(Fiero, ch. 29)
People today still play his master pieces. Chopin is as well received today as he was during his time. “Of his dance forms, the polonaise and the mazurka preserve the robustness of the folk tunes of his native Poland, while the waltz mirrors the Romantic taste for a new type of dance, more sensuous and physically expressive than the courtly and formal minuet. Considered vulgar and lewd when it was introduced in the late eighteenth century, the waltz, with its freedom of movement and intoxicating rhythms, became the most popular of all nineteenth-century dances.”(Fiero, ch. 29)
My personal reaction to his work is that it is phenomenal. I personally have his collection that I listen to frequently. I find his work to be soothing; Chopin’s work is great to listen to while studying, for it has no words so you do not get distracted by catching yourself singing to the lyrics. His music I would say almost puts you in a calm trance.
The “Revolution of 1830 acted like a catalyst on French creative thought. Writers, painters, musicians and social reformers converged on Paris, which teemed with artistic and intellectual activity. Among the writers and poets were Sainte-Beuve, Victor Hugo, Balzac, George Sand and Heine. The painters included Delacroix, Devéria and Ary Scheffer”(Walker).
“Much like Delacroix, Chopin was given to violent mood swings. And, as with Delacroix's paintings, which though carefully contrived give the impression of spontaneity, much of Chopin's music seems improvised—the impetuous record of fleeting feeling, rather than the studied product of diligent construction.”(Fiero, ch. 29) “The most engaging of his compositions are marked by fresh turns of harmony and free tempos and rhythms. Chopin might embellish a melodic line with unusual and flamboyant devices, such as a rolling arpeggio (the sounding of the notes of a chord in rapid succession).”(Fiero, ch. 29) Chopin was a genius.
Chopin’s life works should be remembered for the amazing ability that he had and the way he broke boundaries of his time. This is why; I strongly believe Chopin’s work should be preserved for future generations. Chopin is without a doubt, one of a kind, and still to this day his music will move you.

Work Cited
Eigeldinger, Jean-Jacques. "Chopin And Pleyel." Clavier Companion 2.3 (2010): 10-12. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.

Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition. Sixth Edition ed. : McGraw-Hill, . . &lt;&gt;.

Fryderyk Chopin - Information Centre - Nocturne in E Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2 - Compositions. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
"Frederic Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 9: No. 2 in E-Flat Major." Prezi.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
"Frédéric François Chopin." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography In Context. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.
Walker, Alan. "CHOPIN: The Voice Of The Piano." American Music Teacher 59.6 (2010): 19-26. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.