Piano Street's Classical Piano Blog

John Field is generally regarded as the father and inventor of the Nocturne, and influenced several of the later romantics, most notably Chopin.
Rather simple in form, these pieces are mainly concerned with setting up a mood – usually rather melancholy – and a continuous flow of beautiful melody, with plenty of virtuosic embellishments.
Both Field and Chopin were in this respect very much under the influence of “bel canto”, the Italian vocal style of the 18th and early 19th centuries, which required a perfect legato production and featured extensive and florid ornamentation.

Piano Street has previously published the Ruthardt edition of all the 18 Nocturnes.
Three of Field’s most popular Nocturnes, no 5, 13 and 16 are now also available from the Piano Street Sheet Music Library in Piano Street Editions together with recordings by the pianist David Wärn.

Nocturne no 5 in B-flat Major

Nocturne no 13 in D Minor

Nocturne no 16 in F major

Gabriel Fauré is considered one of the most influential and gifted French composers of the late romantic and early 20th century period.

His early compositions, influenced by Chopin and his teacher Saint-Saënt, are of very romantic character while he later developed a more personal and harmonically complex musical style. The Nocturnes for example were composed over a range of 45 years and clearly reflect this developement.
The Waltz-Caprices are composed in a romantic virtuoso style and offer a profusion of fresh, charming melodies and the Barcarolles are certainly the most impressive collection of Barcarolles in the history of classical music.

43 of his most well known piano pieces have been added to the Piano Street sheet music library.

12 Nocturnes
12 Barcarolles
9 Preludes
5 Impromptus
4 Waltz-Caprices
Ballade, Opus 19

Marguerite Long plays Fauré Nocturne no 4 in E-flat:

Free sheet music:

An articel by George Stephen Murray about how composer Fauré’s and pianist Long’s careers worked together:
Gabriel Fauré’s and Marguerite Long