Portrait of John Field

John Field

Irish pianist, composer, and teacher

Lived
1782–1837
Country
Kingdom of Ireland

Updated September 2026

About John Field

John Field was an Irish pianist and composer. He is widely credited as the inventor of the nocturne. While many of his contemporaries wrote in a similar style, Field was the first to use the term to apply to a character piece featuring a cantabile melody over an arpeggiated accompaniment.

Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.