Nocturnes, Op. 55

• Chopin composed these two nocturnes between 1842-4. The set was first published in Leipzig and Paris in 1844. 
• Chopin dedicated this set to Jane Stirling, a Scottish pianist who was his student and patron. After Chopin’s relationship with George Sand ended in 1847, Jane Stirling became the most influential woman in Chopin’s life, though there is no evidence they were lovers. 
  • Stirling provided Chopin with hospitality in England and Scotland so that he could get out of Paris for the 1848 revolution. She also copied out a seven-volume collection of Chopin’s compositions which proved useful for future editors. 
  • Stirling commissioned this painting of Chopin on his deathbed by Teofil Kwiatkowski.
  • Read about the Jane Stirling Project. 

Contents 

Nocturne in f minor, Op. 55, No. 1 
Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 55, No. 2¹

1. Kornel Michałowski and Jim Samson, “Chopin, Fryderyk Franciszek,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed October 13, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000051099.