Inkar Saduakasova set out the Nocturne in E-flat major as a precise scheme — 105 bars. In her 2022 analysis, every section receives its own length and tonal centre, from the two-bar introduction to the abbreviated return of the opening material.
| Section in Saduakasova’s scheme | What she identifies | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Opening section | E-flat major, moving to C minor; a two-bar introduction and two internal parts | 44 bars |
| Middle section | F minor, development of material from the first section | 35 bars |
| Link | Return to E-flat major | 5 bars |
| Reprise | Abbreviated return of the opening material | 21 bars |
| Total | Form of the work in her count | 105 bars |
The middle section quickens the movement and passes into F minor. A five-bar link then restores E-flat major, while the abbreviated reprise raises the melody from the lower, “cello” voice into the upper register. Here 105 is not simply the length of the piece, but a completed path: unfolding, tension and return.
In the finale Saduakasova hears not a romantic night, but daybreak. She connects this reading to pentatonic anchors, the high register and a ppp (pianississimo) marking — an instruction to play as softly as possible. The image emerges from the music she has analysed: after the anxious middle, the opening light returns more quietly and at a higher pitch.
Source
- Inkar Saduakasova, “Kenzhebek Kumysbekov. Nocturne in E-flat Major,” proceedings of the student research conference at the Kazakh National University of Arts, 2022, pp. 9–13. Pages 9–11: genre and comparative reading; pp. 11–13: formal analysis and the final table of 105 bars.