Nocturnes: and the Fascination of Night Music
Autor Susan Tomesen Limba Engleză Hardback – 28 apr 2026
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.
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Specificații
ISBN-13: 9780300278897
ISBN-10: 0300278896
Pagini: 368
Ilustrații: 9 b-w illus.
Dimensiuni: 133 x 216 mm
Editura: Yale University Press
Colecția Yale University Press
ISBN-10: 0300278896
Pagini: 368
Ilustrații: 9 b-w illus.
Dimensiuni: 133 x 216 mm
Editura: Yale University Press
Colecția Yale University Press
Recenzii
“Ms. Tomes brings to her work a commanding authority and an undisguised appreciation. Her writing is never less than clear, sustained by a lifelong commitment to the piano as a practitioner and teacher.”—John Check, Wall Street Journal
“Ingenious and astute. . . . Tomes describes the works of many of the composers here with deft strokes. . . . I learned a lot, and listened to new things and went back to old things. What more might a music book do?”—Stuart Kelly, Scotsman
“Such a lovely idea for a book, and it’s executed wonderfully.”—Mathew Lyons, Broken Compass
“Susan Tomes is a fine pianist who also writes with elegance, grace and erudition—quite a combination. . . .This fascinating study concludes with an image of the nocturne as standing on the threshold of ‘day mind’ and ‘night mind,’ ‘looking both ways—into the light and into the dark.”—Henrietta Bredin, Country Life
“Beguiling . . . [with] those performer’s insights which are such a strength of her writing. . . . Delightful.”—Peter Davidson, Literary Review
“This is a book you won't want to put down, full of fascinating facts and interesting anecdotes, unfailingly engaging and guaranteed to prompt you to rediscover music you thought you already knew, and to discover music you don’t.”—Matthew Ash, Presto Music
“Susan Tomes writes with clarity and warmth, combining scholarly knowledge with the perspective of a practising musician. . . Rich in insight, detail, and musical examples, this engrossing, highly readable book is a must for musicians and music lovers."—Frances Wilson, Interlude
“An enchanting, original voyage through musical history via the nocturne; miniature in form, but presaging two centuries of art and thought about night, sleep and dreams. Ingenious, and engaging.”—Dame Judith Weir, former Master of the King’s Music
“‘Nocturnes are like the prefiguring of a dream . . . we feel we are in an enchanted place’—so says the author, magically leading us there in this wonderfully illuminating survey.”—Sir John Rutter, composer and conductor
“From John Field's curtain-free windows in the St Petersburg twilight to Lowell Liebermann's urban dreams in contemporary America, Susan Tomes takes us on a fascinating, fantastical journey of nocturnal enchantment at the piano, and beyond.”—Sir Stephen Hough, pianist and author of Enough
“Susan Tomes takes us on a fascinating journey into the night. Beautifully written, full of intriguing facts and attractively poetic descriptions, this unusual book is sure to be of interest to musicians and music-lovers alike.”—Steven Isserlis, cellist and author of The Bach Cello Suites
“Ingenious and astute. . . . Tomes describes the works of many of the composers here with deft strokes. . . . I learned a lot, and listened to new things and went back to old things. What more might a music book do?”—Stuart Kelly, Scotsman
“Such a lovely idea for a book, and it’s executed wonderfully.”—Mathew Lyons, Broken Compass
“Susan Tomes is a fine pianist who also writes with elegance, grace and erudition—quite a combination. . . .This fascinating study concludes with an image of the nocturne as standing on the threshold of ‘day mind’ and ‘night mind,’ ‘looking both ways—into the light and into the dark.”—Henrietta Bredin, Country Life
“Beguiling . . . [with] those performer’s insights which are such a strength of her writing. . . . Delightful.”—Peter Davidson, Literary Review
“This is a book you won't want to put down, full of fascinating facts and interesting anecdotes, unfailingly engaging and guaranteed to prompt you to rediscover music you thought you already knew, and to discover music you don’t.”—Matthew Ash, Presto Music
“Susan Tomes writes with clarity and warmth, combining scholarly knowledge with the perspective of a practising musician. . . Rich in insight, detail, and musical examples, this engrossing, highly readable book is a must for musicians and music lovers."—Frances Wilson, Interlude
“An enchanting, original voyage through musical history via the nocturne; miniature in form, but presaging two centuries of art and thought about night, sleep and dreams. Ingenious, and engaging.”—Dame Judith Weir, former Master of the King’s Music
“‘Nocturnes are like the prefiguring of a dream . . . we feel we are in an enchanted place’—so says the author, magically leading us there in this wonderfully illuminating survey.”—Sir John Rutter, composer and conductor
“From John Field's curtain-free windows in the St Petersburg twilight to Lowell Liebermann's urban dreams in contemporary America, Susan Tomes takes us on a fascinating, fantastical journey of nocturnal enchantment at the piano, and beyond.”—Sir Stephen Hough, pianist and author of Enough
“Susan Tomes takes us on a fascinating journey into the night. Beautifully written, full of intriguing facts and attractively poetic descriptions, this unusual book is sure to be of interest to musicians and music-lovers alike.”—Steven Isserlis, cellist and author of The Bach Cello Suites
Notă biografică
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 Piano and Women and the Piano.