Nocturne in B major, Op. 40, B48a

Opus number

40

Burghauser catalogue number

48a

Date of composition

1883

Premiere - date and place

unknown

Premiere performer(s)

unknown

First edition

Bote & Bock, 1883, Berlin

Main key

B major

Parts / movements

one movement composition

Duration

approx. 9 min.

This piece of music was originally the slow movement Andante religioso from the String Quartet in E minor dated 1870. Dvořák 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 Dvořák 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.