John Field

Life and music

John Field grew up in a musical Dublin family and made his public debut at the Rotunda in 1792. After moving to London, he apprenticed with Muzio Clementi, combining piano study with work demonstrating instruments. In 1802 they travelled through Paris and Vienna to St Petersburg. Field built a performing and teaching career in Russia, living between St Petersburg and Moscow.

By 1812 Field had helped establish the piano nocturne as a Romantic character piece. The B-flat-major Nocturne, H.37, offers a way into his lyrical keyboard world: listen for the singing line above the accompaniment. Numbering differs between collected editions, so H.37 is a useful identity anchor.

Sources

• henle.de
• dib.ie

Where to start

1. 1Nocturne No. 5 in B-flat major, H. 37Level 6, estimatedWith Maestro

More pieces in the Music Room

More pieces

• Nocturne No. 10, H. 46Level 7, estimatedWith Maestro
• Nocturne No. 11, H. 56Level 7, estimatedWith Maestro