Nocturne

A nocturne ("night piece") is typically a solo piano work with a slow tempo, a singing, lyrical melody over a flowing accompaniment, and a generally reflective, dreamlike mood evoking nighttime. It's less a strict form than a mood and character — there's no required structure the way there is for a fugue or sonata-form movement.

The Irish composer John Field is credited with inventing the genre in the early 1800s, but it's Frederic Chopin who perfected it and made it famous: his 21 nocturnes are among the most beloved works in the solo piano repertoire, prized for their intimate, songlike melodies.

Where to start listening: Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9, No. 2 is the genre's single most recognizable piece — a good introduction to both the nocturne and to Chopin generally.