Nocturne (version 1) c sharp minor KK IVa,16
Nocturne Piano solo ~6 min
In brief

This Nocturne in C-sharp minor projects an intimate, contemplative mood with singing phrases that alternate between contained tension and sudden lyrical outbursts. Technically, you will need to focus on Nuances (2.5/5): this requires fine control of volume levels and seamless dynamic transitions to let the melodic line breathe without breaking, and on Romantic Ornaments (2.5/5): executing small embellishments demands precise finger‑to‑hand coordination so trills and appoggiaturas fit naturally into the phrase without disrupting the flow. The dating is unknown, but the piece clearly belongs to Chopin’s body of nocturnes for solo piano, works centered on intimate expression and pianistic singing.

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MusicCoach difficulty
57/100
Intermediate
Likely range : 43–72/100
Confidence : 58% · fair confidence
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 6

Estimated from our difficulty score, not taken from an exam syllabus. Checked against 333 works on the ABRSM syllabus: the exact grade is right 7 times out of 10, and within one grade 99 times out of 100.

Difficulty estimate by MusicCoach on a scale of 1 to 100.

Where this work sits
050100

Most works cluster between 45 and 65: a small score gap often marks a real step. The highlighted bar shows this work among those for the same instrument.

The MusicCoach difficulty measures a work's overall demands (technique, reading, stamina) on a shared 0-100 scale, consolidated from editorial and pedagogical reference points (Henle, exam syllabuses, curation) and our own analyses. It measures neither musical value nor the practice time YOU will need: two musicians of the same level can experience the same work very differently depending on their strengths (hands used to octaves, quick sight-reading…). The confidence reflects how many reference points sit behind the score and how well they agree — a lightly documented score is flagged “to validate”. For a truly personal bearing, the diagnostic and your space compare each work to YOUR estimated level, which the score alone cannot do.

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Difficulty sources
Henle Verlag
5
50/100 normalised · 9 obs.
Relative difficulty
35%
Among Frédéric Chopin
67%
Era
37%
Genre
Estimated skills
Technique
Legato
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Ornaments
Romantic ornaments
1
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