nocturne (Fr., ‘pertaining to night’). A comp. which suggests a nocturnal atmosphere, e.g. Haydn's Notturnos for lira organizzata, Mozart's Serenata Notturna, but more specifically a short pf. piece of romantic character. First to use the title for this genre was John Field, followed by Chopin. An expressive melody in the right hand is accompanied in the left by broken chords.

noc·turne / ˈnäkˌtərn/ • n. 1. Mus. a short composition of a romantic or dreamy character suggestive of night, typically for piano.2. Art a picture of a night scene.

Nocturne. Song-cycle for ten., 7 obbl. instr., and str. orch., Op.60, by Britten, comp. 1958. Settings of 8 poems about night by Shelley, Tennyson, Coleridge, Middleton, Wordsworth, Owen, Keats, and Shakespeare. The opening poem is acc. by str. only, each succeeding setting is dominated by an obbl. instr. (bn., harp, hn., timp., cor anglais, and fl. and cl.), and the finale is for the full complement. Ded. to Mahler's widow. F.p. Leeds 1958.

Nocturne ★★½ 1946

A police lieutenant investigates the supposed suicide of a famous composer and uncovers dark secrets that suggest murder is afoot. An overlooked RKO production shines thanks to Raft's inimitable tough guy performance and some offbeat direction. For film noir completists. 88m/B VHS . George Raft, Lynn Bari, Virginia Huston, Joseph Pevney, Myrna Dell, Edward Ashley, Walter Sande, Mabel Paige; D: Edwin L. Marin; W: Rowland Brown, Jonathan Latimer; C: Harry Wild; M: Leigh Harline.

nocturne In music, a quiet piece endeavouring to reflect the atmosphere and mood of night-time. First used by John Field for some of his piano pieces, the title was later used by Chopin. Debussy composed three orchestral nocturnes.