Oct. 27, 2008
John Field (1782-1837) is, unfortunately, not a well-known composer, and yet the world of music owes him a great deal. He was the great creator of the Nocturne form of music, which Frederic Chopin then took to new heights. In fact, when Chopin heard John Field performing his new Nocturne style, Chopin was then inpsired to incorporate this into his own music.
The Great Franz Liszt was quoted as saying, "Field was the first to introduce a style in no way derived from the established categories, and in which feeling and melody, freed from the trammels of coercive form, reigned supreme." So we owe much to this lesser-known composer.
This particular nocturne has sometimes been titled "Song without Words" although this title did not come from Field. The middle section is supposed to be played a bit faster than I do in this recording, but I did not notice this fact until after I had completed the recording! That is something I should not readily admit because it reveals the fact that I spent very little time studying this work. Despite my lack of diligent study and the subsequent misinterpretations, I loved recording this nocturne and wanted to share it with my listeners. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed playing it. This nocturne was recorded at my home on my studio upright.
