Deux nocturnes op. 27

These two nocturnes were composed in 1835, and their first editions were published in Paris (M. Schlesinger, 1836), Leipzig (Breitkopf und Hartel, 1836), and London (Wessel, 1836). They are dedicated to Countess d'Apponyi, wife of the Austrian Ambassador to France. Due to their dedication to a lady of high social standing, they are sometimes referred to as "Nocturnes for a Lady." Although grouped as a pair, the musical character of these two pieces presents a striking contrast, as if to complement each other.

No. 1 C-sharp minor

This nocturne, like other nocturnes, consists of three sections (A - B - A'). In sections A and A', the left hand's arpeggiated sextuplets, which constantly play the accompaniment figure, possess a very wide range, extending over two octaves by measure 13. Such smooth movement across a wide range was made possible by improvements in the damper pedal (sustain pedal).

At the beginning, following an introduction with a characteristic sound of an empty fifth (C-sharp, G-sharp) lacking the third (E), a chromatically wandering theme is presented in the right hand. The brilliant ornamentation seen in the theme's repetitions in earlier works like Op. 9 No. 2 (the second) and Op. 15 No. 2 (the fifth) is entirely absent in this piece. Instead, when the theme is repeated, two voices are added to the right-hand melody, transforming it from a "solo" to a "duet." The melody is very simple and less undulating compared to other nocturnes, but it blends beautifully with the accompaniment figure through the use of the damper pedal. From measure 29, the atmosphere shifts dramatically, entering the dramatic middle section B (measures 29-83). With short two-measure phrases, insistent repeated notes, and a 20-measure passage of ascending dotted half-note scales and semitone tremolos in the left hand, both the range and dynamics are rapidly expanded, reaching a climax once at measure 46. From measure 53, chromatic progression reappears, bringing one scene of the middle section to a close. At measure 67, a mazurka appears, similar to Op. 15 No. 3 (the sixth), but the dance does not last long, being evaded by chromatic modulations and interrupted by a powerful series of chordal repetitions at measure 81. The use of such mazurkas in nocturnes from the 1830s can be interpreted as an expression of nationalistic sentiment stirred by the November Uprising that erupted in 1830. Just before the return of the theme, within a long fermata, the left hand plays a highly recitative-like passage in octaves.

A' is a significantly condensed form of A, and at measure 94, it modulates to the parallel major, C-sharp major; the section from this point onward can also be regarded as a coda. Both volume and tempo gradually decrease, moving towards Adagio, and the piece concludes in C-sharp major.