Born in Ireland, educated in England and adopted by Russia, John Field became one of the most famous pianist of the early 19th century. His natural grace plays an important role in his piano compositions, his seven delightful Piano Concertos creating a mood of gentle romanticism that foreshadows Chopin. Through he did not invent the Nocturne, he was certainly the first to elevate the work to the status later achieved by the works of the great romantic composers. He composed eighteen Nocturnes, their mixture of deligtful filigree and charming melodic invention providing constant delight.