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Triviality | The inventor of the piano nocturne was not Chopin
The inventor of the piano nocturne was not Chopin
The inventor of the piano nocturne was not Chopin
Published on March 11, 2026

The Irish composer John Field was the first to write a piano "nocturne," a form meant to evoke the atmosphere of the night. He wrote 18 nocturnes including No. 5 in B flat major. Many listeners believe they are listening to Chopin, whose name has become almost synonymous with the nocturne, when they are in fact, listening to Field, whom Chopin admired and was clearly infuenced by.

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