A Collage-Like Work of Music. Aspects of Variation Technique in Maria Szymanowska’s Nocturne in B-flat Major

The article aims to examine the way in which selected variation techniques are used in Maria Szymanowska’s Nocturne in B-flat Major, with the focus on both conventional thematic modifications and collage-like transformation of shorter motifs. By comparing the work to selected pieces by John Field and placing it within appropriate historical contexts, the author seeks to illustrate how such an approach to variation not only enriches the conventional form of the nocturne as a genre, but also highlights the possibility of programmatic intent being present.