John Field’s Nocturnes No.3, 5, and 8
John Field is considered to be one of the important musical figures who provided paths to the composers of the Romantic era, in particular to the music of Chopin. He is credited as being the first composer to write nocturnes.
He was born in 1782 in Dublin, Ireland. He studied piano under both his grandfather and Tommaso Giordani, an Italian composer of the late eighteenth century. Like Mendelssohn, he made his debut at an early age and premiered his first piano concerto at the age of seventeen. It is interesting that he made connections with Muzio Clementi, with whom he apprenticed. He followed Clementi to many countries, including England, France, Austria, and Russia. He eventually established his concert career in Russia. This is when he wrote Nocturnes No. 3, 5, and 8.
Nocturne No. 3 is in Ab major. The piece is written in a four-part texture, which is different from that of the preceding nocturnes. There seems to a melodic dialogue between the two hands (mm. 9-14, 25-27). While listening to this piece, my ear particularly pays attention to the harmonic changes. The key changes from Bb major to E major, although it is really B major (mm. 28), and later to F minor (mm. 42).
Unlike the third nocturne, the fifth nocturne is in Bb major, we find a gentle melody floating over a serene accompaniment in triplets. The melodic line suggests the role of an Italian singer. Field’s melodic writing may have been influenced by the opera of Rossini, who produced his first opera in 1810, two years before Field wrote this nocturne. It seems that it would have been difficult to develop the pedaling technique when playing the triplets with an unbroken legato because it can easily sound blurred if it is performed inadequately.
The Eighth Nocturne, written in A major, has much more elaborate ornaments of turns and runs in comparison to the nocturnes mentioned above, though the essential character of the original melody is preserved. Also, there are at least three different types of accompaniment supporting the melody: arpeggio, waltz-style, and broken-chord figurations. Measure 41 attracts my interest due to its descending thirds. As I mentioned in past entries, particularly the one about Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capricciso, Clementi is renowned for his double thirds. Here again, I believe that Field was influenced by his teacher; however, these scales in thirds can be divided easily between the two hands.
Without a doubt, John Field’s invention of the musical style of nocturnes is original and innovative. He chose to emphasize mood rather than thematic development in such genres as the sonata, theme and variations, fugue, and so forth. These nocturnes are typically expressive rather than virtuosic and marked with a tone of sweetness and delicacy that evokes an emotion in the listeners.
John Field is considered to be one of the important musical figures who provided paths to the composers of the Romantic era, in particular to the music of Chopin. He is credited as being the first composer to write nocturnes.
He was born in 1782 in Dublin, Ireland. He studied piano under both his grandfather and Tommaso Giordani, an Italian composer of the late eighteenth century. Like Mendelssohn, he made his debut at an early age and premiered his first piano concerto at the age of seventeen. It is interesting that he made connections with Muzio Clementi, with whom he apprenticed. He followed Clementi to many countries, including England, France, Austria, and Russia. He eventually established his concert career in Russia. This is when he wrote Nocturnes No. 3, 5, and 8.
Nocturne No. 3 is in Ab major. The piece is written in a four-part texture, which is different from that of the preceding nocturnes. There seems to a melodic dialogue between the two hands (mm. 9-14, 25-27). While listening to this piece, my ear particularly pays attention to the harmonic changes. The key changes from Bb major to E major, although it is really B major (mm. 28), and later to F minor (mm. 42).
Unlike the third nocturne, the fifth nocturne is in Bb major, we find a gentle melody floating over a serene accompaniment in triplets. The melodic line suggests the role of an Italian singer. Field’s melodic writing may have been influenced by the opera of Rossini, who produced his first opera in 1810, two years before Field wrote this nocturne. It seems that it would have been difficult to develop the pedaling technique when playing the triplets with an unbroken legato because it can easily sound blurred if it is performed inadequately.
The Eighth Nocturne, written in A major, has much more elaborate ornaments of turns and runs in comparison to the nocturnes mentioned above, though the essential character of the original melody is preserved. Also, there are at least three different types of accompaniment supporting the melody: arpeggio, waltz-style, and broken-chord figurations. Measure 41 attracts my interest due to its descending thirds. As I mentioned in past entries, particularly the one about Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capricciso, Clementi is renowned for his double thirds. Here again, I believe that Field was influenced by his teacher; however, these scales in thirds can be divided easily between the two hands.
Without a doubt, John Field’s invention of the musical style of nocturnes is original and innovative. He chose to emphasize mood rather than thematic development in such genres as the sonata, theme and variations, fugue, and so forth. These nocturnes are typically expressive rather than virtuosic and marked with a tone of sweetness and delicacy that evokes an emotion in the listeners.
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