Nocturne

Nocturne was written for my then-fianceI, Oscar VaIzquez Medrano, for inclusion in a recital that included a short cycle of nocturnes as a way of encapsulating the evolution of the genre. The other nocturnes, by John Field, Maria Szymanovska, and Chopin, were full of beautiful melodic lines and momentous harmonic movements. I took elements from these pieces, the use of the Neapolitan chord, modulation intervals, and so on, to craft a work that both connected with them while standing apart in its use of the Phrygian-Dorian scale and hybrid of melodic and rhythmic importance. Finally, there are Spanish influences in the beginning's dramatic build to the moto perpetuo and the mode, a nod to Oscar's love of performing Spanish music. We jokingly call this the "city nocturne" because of its contrast with traditionally beautiful and slow nocturnes and how it gives the impression of a bustling night life.