“Compose a nocturne for a soloist, a solo with accompaniment or a group of instruments. It should be suitable for an informal concert at the local college to welcome refugees to the area.”
The nocturne is a piece made popular during the Romantic era, with the atmosphere, feel and timbre of the music taking precedence over form and structure. This sort of work is usually thoughtful and sensitive, and its roots are in music sung at night in Middle Ages monasteries. The composer Chopin is renowned as a composer of many nocturnes. Whilst composing this type of work, it is important to consider the different ways in which composers create an atmosphere. It can stir the emotions very much.
Before filling the table below, why not listen to one or two of them?
(Listen to the texture of the melody, the accompaniment and the chromatic chords, e.g. the Napolitan 6th on 01:02. Try and think too which keys the music goes to and try and consider the structure of the piece.)
Despite not having the title 'Nocturne', it certainly is one. Listen to the texture and the chords once again. Listen especially for the important link notes which help the composer to transpose into several keys. Listen too for the peace created by the composer by using a pedal note in the right hand in the following link:
(For an orchestra, by Mendelssohn.)
Try gathering a few ideas together in a table before starting work on your own composition.
| Element | Notes |
|---|---|
| tonality | |
| tempo | |
| texture | |
| structure | |
| deveices | |
| touch (legato, staccato etc) | |
| dynamics |