18 Nocturnes

Nocturne

John Field
Nocturne
Form
Score
First page of 18 Nocturnes

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Themes & character
Invented the nocturne·Direct influence on Chopin·Singing right hand·Irish composer in Russia

At a glance

Form
Nocturne

About the piece

John Field, an Irish composer and pianist who spent most of his career in Russia, invented the nocturne as a piano genre, publishing the first examples from around 1812. The form was his idea: a singing right-hand melody over a widely spaced, pedal-sustained left hand, imitating the effect of a voice with accompaniment. Chopin knew these pieces well and built his own celebrated nocturnes directly on Field's model, eventually eclipsing him so thoroughly that Field's originals are now rarely heard. Field is said to have been unimpressed by his successor's efforts.

The composer

John Field

John Field may refer to:John Field (1886–1979), American football player and coach John Field (brigadier) (1899–1974), Australian Army officer John Field (composer) (1782–1837), Irish composer John Field (dancer) (1921–1991), British dancer of the Royal Ballet John Field (Puritan) (1545–1588), British Puritan John Field (astronomer) (1520/30–1587), English astronomer John Field (songwriter), Australian songwriter and musician John A. Field Jr. (1910–1995), U.S. federal judge John Osbaldiston Field (1913–1985), governor of Saint Helena John Field (clothing), outdoor clothes for hunting John Collard Field (1822–1903), member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario John Edwin Field (1936–2020), British physicist

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