The Irish composer John Field is credited with the invention of one of the most popular classical genres. Listen to this article Loading audio... John Field is a relatively unknown name in today’s ...

The Irish composer John Field (1782-1837) is commonly said to have invented the nocturne as a piece for piano, passing the form along for his younger contemporary Frédéric Chopin to perfect.

Although John Field (1782-1837) is not widely recognised today, his biography was impressive. Robert Schumann, writing as a critic, gave Field’s music good reviews.