Nocturne No. 19 in E minor, Op. posth. 72, No. 1
Nocturne Piano solo
In brief

This Nocturne in E minor has an intimate, contemplative mood, built from singing phrases and held-back silences that feel like a hushed confidence rather than a public statement. Technically, watch the Legato (2.5/5): here it requires smooth finger-to-hand connection and controlled arm support to sustain the vocal line without breaks, and the Ornaments (2.5/5) need very controlled, small finger movements and precise placement in time so they sit naturally inside the phrase. The piece belongs to the group of nocturnes published posthumously and is part of Chopin's smaller, lyrical piano pieces that complement his main catalogue rather than forming a major public work.

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MusicCoach difficulty
63/100
Intermediate
Likely range : 51–75/100
Confidence : 42% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 7

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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Relative difficulty
52%
Among Frédéric Chopin
77%
Era
64%
Genre
Estimated skills
Style
Character and style
1
Pedaling
Half-pedalling
1
Technique
Legato
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Ornaments
Romantic ornaments
1
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Interpretation
Singing voice
1
What to play next?

Each suggestion combines difficulty gap, risk, confidence and skill overlap. The first two cards in each column are the most useful pedagogically.

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