Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A painting of a night scene.
- n. An instrumental composition of a pensive, dreamy mood, especially one for the piano.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In painting, a night-piece; a painting exhibiting some of the characteristic effects of night-light.
- n. In music, a composition, properly instrumental, which is intended to embody the dreamy sentiments appropriate to the evening or the night; a pensive and sentimental melody; a reverie; a serenade. The style of composition and the term are peculiar to the romantic school. Also notturno.
Wiktionary
- n. a work of art relating or dedicated to the night
- n. a dreamlike or pensive composition (usually for the piano)
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A night piece, or serenade. The name is now used for a certain graceful and expressive form of instrumental composition, as the nocturne for orchestra in Mendelsohn's “Midsummer-Night's Dream” music.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a pensive lyrical piece of music (especially for the piano)
Etymologies
- French, from Old French, nocturnal, from Latin nocturnus; see nocturnal.
Examples
“A nocturne is a piece of music inspired by, or evocative of, the night ...”
Nocturnes: Summary and book reviews of Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro.
“Wyn Davies conducts with a panache that locates Lehár's subtler colours – the violin nocturne that precedes the final act is every bit as exquisite as the rambunctious waltz.”
“J Hoberman in the Voice on Tsai Ming-liang's I Don't Want to Sleep Alone, now screening at the IFC Center through Tuesday: Albeit closer to ballet than drama, this urban nocturne is one of Tsai's most beautiful and naturalistic films - at least in terms of its rich, humid, almost viscous ambience.”
“The name nocturne was invented by John Field, who wrote twelve pieces with this title (the remaining ones of the twenty usually printed were named by the publishers) which are, in effect, sonnets; little lyric pieces, of greater or less depth, having the general type of a song without words, but preferably of a melancholy or tender character, and the form of a melody with accompaniment.”
“When I’m inspired, whether it’s from the flaming crimson leaves that are beginning to explode across the horizon, a Chopin nocturne, or a well crafted novel, I feel a sense of excitement, an electrical surge of creative energy which seems other-worldly.”
“A good Chopin CD is Jean Yves Thibaudet's "The Chopin I Love"; there's quite a bit on that CD, including the E-flat major nocturne, which is my absolute favorite.”
“There is unhealthy power in this nocturne, which is seldom interpreted with sinister subtlety.”
“The picture called the nocturne in blue and silver, was now produced in Court.”
“The question is whether either is a nocturne, which is to say a picture whose subject is the night.”
“It is like a "nocturne" written by a musician who has wandered through all the cities of Europe with a company of beggar-players, playing masques of death to the occupants of all the cemeteries.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘nocturne’.
evin290 The hands on the clock turn, but don't sing a nocturne just yet. May 22, 2007
stpeter The opposite of aubade. Dec 9, 2006