nocturne in b major
| OPUS NUMBER | 40 |
| BURGHAUSER CATALOGUE NUMBER | 47 |
| COMPOSED | 1875 (?) (revision 1882 / 1883 (?)) |
| PREMIERE - DATE AND PLACE | before 15 May 1879, Nice |
| PREMIERE - PERFORMER(S) | Baron Dervies's Orchestra, conductor Karel Kucera (?) |
| FIRST EDITION | Bote & Bock, 1883, Berlin |
| MAIN KEY | B major |
| INSTRUMENTATION | violins, violas, cellos, double basses |
| DURATION | approx. 9 min. |
| This piece of music was originally the slow movement Andante religioso from the String Quartet in E minor dated 1870. Dvorak then used it as the free movement in his String Quintet in G major. But it didn’t find a permanent home there, either, after Dvorak decided in 1883 to rework it into a piece entitled Nocturne. It exists in three versions: for orchestra (B47), for violin and piano (B48) and for four-hand piano (B48b). The piece is serious in tone, with an almost unchanging expression throughout. The endless melody in the upper voice takes small melodic steps above a monotone quaver accompaniment and a sustained deep bass F sharp. This combination of expressive means creates an almost hypnotic effect throughout the piece. |