Apart from the fact that John Field invented the nocturne, very little has been known about the composer and his strange and colorful life. Although is compositions were once widely popular, they are now neglected and misunderstood and even his beautiful nocturnes are seldom played. The author makes the first important reassessment of the composer's life and music, following Field's career from his childhood as an infant prodigy in Dublin and then as Clementi's pupil in London, through his brilliantly successfully years as the favorite of St. Petersburg and Moscow society, the vicissitudes of his love life, his final appearance in London and Paris, his unhappy years of wandering through Europe, to his eventual return to Moscow where he died in 1837. The nature of Field's greatness as a pianist is extensively discussed and the accounts of his teaching and playing methods are based on the numerous and detailed impressions of the composer's pupils and friends. All Field's known compositions are fully considered, including several works recently discovered by the author. Together with the many illustrations and music examples, this is a brilliant study of a composer whose music is at last put into perspective.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

John Field is the most misunderstood composer in the history of classical music. The author, a former educator, classical pianist, and member of the Aldenori Piano Trio, finally sets the record straight. Pianists both professional and amateur, educators, teachers of piano performance, and musicologists who want to meet the real John Field and understand his finest creations, the nocturnes, will find this book indispensable.

"The Hinson" has been indispensable for performers, teachers, and students. Now updated and expanded, it's better than ever, with 120 more composers, expertly guiding pianists to solo literature and answering the vital questions: What's available? How difficult is it? What are its special features? How does one reach the publisher? The "new Hinson" includes solo compositions of nearly 2,000 composers, with biographical sketches of major composers. Every entry offers description, publisher, number of pages, performance time, style and characteristics, and level of difficulty. Extensively revised, this new edition is destined to become a trusted guide for years to come.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1973.