Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2 — Frédéric Chopin

Chopin’s Nocturne in E-flat Major is the definitive Romantic piano miniature, with its sweeping melody and delicate trills creating a timeless intimacy that has inspired over 1,000 published arrangements. At just under five minutes, it packs more expressive nuance per second than the average encore piece, using a basso ostinato harmonic rhythm that outpaces #1’s slower development. Its iconic opening phrase, a tender rise and fall, has been sampled in 80+ film scores, cementing its status as the genre’s most beloved night piece.