Nocturnes and the fascination of night music / Susan Tomes.
| Author/creator | Tomes, Susan |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | New Haven : Yale University Press, ©2026. |
| Description | xii, 368 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 22 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | John Field and the emergence of a genre -- Field's nocturnes: roses without thorns -- Mikhail Glinka, Maria Szymanowska: nocturnes for piano by Field's contemporaries -- Chopin's nocturnes: roses with thorns -- From the Schumanns to Bizet: nocturnes for piano by Chopin's contemporaries -- The nocturnes of Gabriel Fauré, Chopin's successor -- Claude Debussy, Erik Satie: nocturnes for piano by Fauré's contemporaries -- From Chaminade to Liebermann: nocturnes for piano from 1925 onwards -- 'Our evenings': piano music with titles connected to the night -- From Vivaldi to Eno: beyond the piano -- 'How the night furthers my secrecy': night music in opera, oratorio and ballet -- 'Good evening, good night': night music in song -- Blue, silver, grey and gold: nocturnes in painting -- 'The flood of remembrance': nocturnes in poetry -- Ripples widening out from the nocturne -- Appendix: Nocturnes of Field, Chopin, and Fauré. |
| Abstract | "An enchanting history of the music that calms our frantic minds, from the nocturnes of Field and Chopin to Brian Eno's Evening Star and Max Richter's Sleep. In an insomniac age, ambient and sleep music have become increasingly popular. But our association between music and sleep is not new: lullabies may be the oldest form of music, and are instantly recognisable across peoples and cultures. Why does the night hold such musical fascination for us, and what forms do its sounds take? Susan Tomes explores the story of the nocturne, and the music of nighttime in the classical tradition. From John Field's pioneering, lyrical nocturnes composed in the haunting atmosphere of St Petersburg's midnight sun, to Chopin's emotionally complex mastery of the form, composers and musicians have endlessly produced music about the night, in which the piano plays a central part. Tomes offers us a rich cultural history of this expressive, often melancholic, fascinating genre--which has gone on to inspire not just musicians but generations of artists and writers."--Dust jacket. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 328-331) and index. |
| Biographical note | "Susan Tomes is an award-winning pianist and writer, renowned as a soloist and chamber musician. She is the author of numerous highly acclaimed books, including the widely praised The Piano. A two-time Presto Music Book of the Year winner, Tomes brings a practitioner's rich insight to her writing about music. Her most recent book, and Women and the Piano, was selected as a book of the year in the Financial Times and the New Yorker."--Dust jacket. |
| ISBN | 9780300278897 hardback |
| ISBN | 0300278896 |
| ISBN | ePub ebook |