Nocturne in B Major for Orchestra

The “Nocturne” as a musical form was pioneered by the Irish composer John Field and developed as a definitive form for piano solo by Frederic Chopin. The nocturnes of Chopin explored various keys and followed an A-B-A form with the middle section being developed in related keys. Chopin incorporated contrapuntal embellishments to the melody reflecting the influence of “bel canto” style of operatic singing with an underlying aria.

The current nocturne is in 4/4 time with a pedal note over which an arpeggiated series of eighth notes clustered as 12 notes per measure provides the underlying harmonic rhythm to the melody which utilizes “bel canto” style embellishments added as appropriate. A middle section provides a more agitated contra-melody in the key of G minor with a continuing triplet harmonic rhythm. The piece returns to the main theme in B Major before concluding with a restatement of the underlying motif.

The piece was written intermittently over the period 16 February 2017 through 20 September 2018 and is dedicated to Dr Rafael Diaz a clinical psychologist friend and pianist.