Nocturne No. 1 in E-flat major

Field's Nocturne No. 1 in E♭ major is the founding example of the genre and one of the most eloquent melodies in the piano repertoire. Composed around 1810–1812 and published c.1812, it establishes everything that would define the Field nocturne: a long-breathed, arch-shaped melody that rises and falls with the pacing of a natural breath; a simple broken-chord accompaniment in a gentle rocking rhythm; and a harmonic language of disarming simplicity. The melody is unadorned in its opening statement and then gently ornamented on its return, following the convention of the Italian operatic aria. Field was working in St. Petersburg when he composed it, surrounded by the Italian opera that was the prestige art form of European aristocratic culture, and the nocturne is deeply shaped by that vocal ideal.

The E♭ major Nocturne benefits from the natural resonance of the piano's lower-middle register — keep the melody in this warm zone as long as possible. The accompaniment should be almost inaudible, a soft harmonic haze beneath the melody. On the return of the theme with its ornaments, let them flow naturally and freely: they are embellishments, not separate events. The piece is short (under five minutes) but requires the full concentration of a much longer work to achieve its effect of suspended time and serene beauty.