The Nocturne
Quinn Riley

French for “nocturnal,” the nocturne is a slow character piece inspired by or evocative of the night. The musical genre originated as a piece for solo piano by Irish composer, pianist, and teacher John Field (1782-1837), who published the very first set of nocturnes in 1814, and who wrote a total of eighteen nocturnes for piano.

While still a young man, Polish-born composer Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) became a great admirer of John Field and was often told his music sounded like Field’s. In 1832, at the age of twenty-two, Chopin met John Field for the first time and had the opportunity to play for Field the five Nocturnes he had written. Unfortunately, Field had a rather negative view of Chopin’s music, and described Chopin as a “sickroom talent.” Nevertheless, Chopin continued to admire and find inspiration in Field’s work, eventually becoming even more famous than Field.

During his all too short life, Chopin wrote some 230 piano works, including 21 nocturnes, into which he poured his passions, joys, sorrows, and fierce patriotism. Before his death at the age of 39, Chopin was celebrated as a leading musician of his era and a poetic genius without equal among his generation.

If you’d like to hear some of my favorite Chopin Nocturnes, tune in to Classical KCME during the 1:00 hour on Tuesday, December 20^th  for the Nocturne in B-flat minor, Op. 9 no. 1; on Wednesday, December 21^st for the Nocturne in F-sharp minor, Op. 48 no. 2; and on the 22^nd to enjoy the late Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. posth.