Nocturne

A Nocturne is usually a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. At this time, the piece was not necessarily evocative of the night, but might merely be intended for performance at night, much like a serenade. In the movement entitled 'The Night's Music' of Out of Doors for solo piano , Béla Bartók imitated the sounds of nature. Other examples of Nocturnes include the one for orchestra from Felix Mendelssohn's incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream , the set of three for orchestra and female choir by Claude Debussy and the first movement of the Violin Concerto No. Nocturnes are generally thought of as being tranquil, often expressive and lyrical, and sometimes rather gloomy, but in practice pieces with the name Nocturne have conveyed a variety of moods: the second of Debussy's orchestral Nocturnes, "Fêtes", for example, is very lively, as are parts of Karol Szymanowski's Nocturne and Tarantella and Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji's Symphonic Nocturne for Piano Alone ..