Two Nocturnes (Field style)

Hi, after having studied John Field's 18 Nocturnes, particularly his left hand patterns, I wrote a couple of short,  tonal, and simple pieces However I couldn't help it, and some "more modern" harmonic changes are present. Or some kind of metric modulation. And other devices.

I was interested in this composer as the father of the Nocturne.

Hey there. 😄

The cut in C33 was to abrupt for me, also in 48 the tiny trill (forgot it's name) is not heard. 

Other than that- perfect. 9.5/10

I like the sound in the Gm even better, but I'd really love it if the sustains were longer (I enjoy the airy kind-of uncertain ghastly sound it gives)

I'd love to here more of it, for me it felt too short. 9.5/10 as well.

Well done :)

4 minutes ago, Rabbival507 said:

also in 48 the tiny trill (forgot it's name) is not heard

Thanks!

I didn't find any trills or something in that measure ¿? There is a silence because the upper voice is quiet.

11 hours ago, Luis Hernández said:

Thanks!

I didn't find any trills or something in that measure ¿? There is a silence because the upper voice is quiet.

 

Woops, sorry. read it wrong. nvm

I found these pieces perfectly lovely and with the flavour of John Field as far as I remember.

I have no criticism and the performance is superb. 

As an aside, I find Field Nocturnes more comfortable to listen to than Chopin's. Given the era in which he lived the style anticipates what was to happen a century-plus later - what is stylistically so different from Paderewsky's Nocturne Op 16?

The Nocturne in C is quite distinct melodically even though it takes some unexpected turns.  I think the first 6/8 section especially is quite jarring to the character of the rest of the nocturne.  And the transitions back to 9/8 from each of the 6/8 sections are a little sudden.  Maybe if you had done a rubato ritardando at the end of the 6/8 before starting the 9/8 section it could signal to the listener that something different is coming up?  (looking at the score I see that you do in fact do that - maybe you could exaggerate it a bit more in that case?  It's up to you of course.)  Also, if you say that something is "in C" then I'd expect it to end in C as well but you end on an F# minor 6 chord.

The Nocturne in G sounded more melancholic to me rather than nostalgic as the title suggests.  I don't know if Field does this or if it's more of a Chopin innovation but I felt like you could have taken the opportunity to develop the fioratura (the septuplet you introduce) into a longer and more involved roulade later in the piece.  Or start with a long drawn-out trill which then could develop into a more chromatic/scalar run.

Overall these were very enjoyable!  Good luck in your future compositions!

The Nocturne in C is very neat, and I particularly love the largo section! I can picture a starry night with the piece. 

The Nostalgic is quite enjoyable to me. Just 2 stylistic comments here: At m.6 I would prefer rubato for the septet, or replacing it with 8-note group (with the first being a rest); at m.14 I might have added passing note from D to A-natural, like D-C-Bb-A natural to make the transition smoother. Similar for m.17.
 

On 1/10/2021 at 3:05 AM, PaperComposer said:

Also, if you say that something is "in C" then I'd expect it to end in C as well but you end on an F# minor 6 chord.

C and F# are considered equivalent in contemporary harmony.

On 1/10/2021 at 11:04 AM, HoYin Cheung said:

At m.6 I would prefer rubato for the septet, or replacing it with 8-note group (with the first being a rest)

Thanks.

Interesting. Because that's what we would expect in Chopin, surely. But John Field was much more "serious" and we don't often hear lots of variation or "fireworks". 

52 minutes ago, Luis Hernández said:

C and F# are considered equivalent in contemporary harmony.

 

wait.. can you explain this to me? I love jumping to the tritone but what makes them equivalent?

10 minutes ago, Left Unexplained said:

wait.. can you explain this to me? I love jumping to the tritone but what makes them equivalent?

For that you have to dive into Bartok, Messiaen, etc... Relationship by thirds, etc...

1 minute ago, Luis Hernández said:

For that you have to dive into Bartok, Messiaen, etc... Relationship by thirds, etc...

 

I'll take your word for it for now although I would agree that the two are closely related!

2 minutes ago, Left Unexplained said:

I'll take your word for it for now although I would agree that the two are closely related!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_system

3 minutes ago, Luis Hernández said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_system

 

I remember you once asked if I used this! I'll have to research it once I've expanded upon basic theory