Nocturne no. 2, H.25
Romantic Nocturne Piano solo ~5 min
In brief

This Nocturne creates a lyrical, contemplative mood with a melody that seems to float above a delicate accompaniment, calling for an intimate, well-breathed touch. The main technical challenges are Legato (4.4/5) — here you must connect notes with finger and wrist control so the line sings without breaks — and Sustain Pedal (Pédale de sustain) (4.4/5), which requires subtle timing of pedal changes to keep harmonic clarity without blurring the melody. The piece belongs to the Romantic period and fits within the development of the nocturne genre, emphasizing lyrical expression and refined piano nuance. I do not provide a reference interpretation because I am not 100% certain of a specific recording to cite for this particular catalogue number.

MusicCoach difficulty
52/100
Intermediate
Likely range : 40–64/100
Confidence : 35% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 5 to 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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Relative difficulty
24%
Among John Field
39%
Era Romantic
18%
Genre
Estimated skills
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Interpretation
Singing voice
1
Technique
Legato
2
Interpretation
Phrasing
2
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
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.

See the whole progression