Noctave
The piece
For almost its whole length, this nocturne moves calmly, Andante sostenuto, with a simple melody over a left hand in eighth notes. One device comes back several times: the phrase hurries (stretto), holds back, then stops short on a fermata before setting off again. Everything turns in the last bars: a pianissimo trill over a repeated bass like a timpani roll, then an Adagio recitative, in octaves between the hands, which leaves the piece on an abrupt, dark ending. Our source is the first Paris edition, Schlesinger’s.
The ornaments, about thirty and mostly grace notes, belong to the melody: play them smoothly, without breaking the legato. Nine chords span more than an octave, up to 17 semitones; if your hand cannot reach them, roll them quickly from the bass without displacing the melody. Between a low bass and the middle register, the left hand shifts more than 140 times. At the stopping points, let the silences really last, then resume in tempo. The closing recitative is played loud and free, with every note given its full tone.