Chopin’s Struggle with Identity and his Nocturne in G Minor

Oftentimes, when one asks about the most famous Polish figure, people’s first response would easily be “Chopin.” Indeed, to many, he is the symbol for Polish nationalism. Exiled in Paris during the Russian incursion on his home soil during the 1830s, Chopin composed a large body of work that is closely related to his Polish roots: 58 mazurkas and 18 polonaises, among the more than 200 pieces he wrote. Even for the non-explicitly Polish genres, there hides a distinct Polish quality—such as the mazurkas in some of his nocturnes–that evokes the image of his homeland. Yet to call him a nationalist would oversimplify the sentiment. It is nuanced and multi-layered: culturally, politically and religiously. Furthermore, while modern audiences, as well as those of his own times, clearly feel the sense of Polish pride, whether Chopin had intended it can be difficult to gauge. This essay explores Chopin’s expression of nationalism, or the lack thereof, using his Nocturne in G Minor Op. 15 No. 3 as a starting point. We examine a number of historical evidence and find that even Chopin, himself, had expressed emotions that can be seemingly contradictory to one another. We explore these differences and present an interpretation of Chopin that is sometimes at the crossroad of identities, indecisive and lost.