Nocturne in E-flat majorOp. 55, No. 2

Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 55 No. 2, the second of his two nocturnes Op. 55. Marked Lento sostenuto, in 12/8, it opens forte with a long right-hand melody over flowing left-hand eighths; the right hand often carries a second voice, with grace-note groups and trills. The music rises to fortissimo and to sudden sforzando-piano accents; after dim. and rallent., in tempo leads to a forte close. This edition follows the Breitkopf & Härtel collected edition of about 1878–80.