nocturne

[ nok-turn ]

noun

, Music.

1. a piece appropriate to the night or evening.
2. an instrumental composition of a dreamy or pensive character.

nocturne

/ ˈnɒktɜːn /

noun

1. a short, lyrical piece of music, esp one for the piano
2. a painting or tone poem of a night scene

Word History and Origins

Origin of nocturne¹

From the French word nocturne, dating back to 1860–65. See nocturn

Example Sentences

His recordings of Chopin’s études and nocturnes offer lovely, generally introverted, smoothed, even sleepy takes on those works.

From New York Times

While Blanchard’s score moved comfortably between bars, college parties and fraught, tender nocturnes, “Fire” was fairly turgid as drama, its individual sequences clear but the broader conflicts driving its characters obscure.

From New York Times

Jacobs’s textures were also beautifully varied in the “Prière,” the trumpet mellowed by the vast space without losing its focus; the “Prélude, Fugue et Variation” was a wistful nocturne, sensitively controlled and never overblown.

From New York Times

The experience is no less expansive than seeing the ocean or hearing a Chopin nocturne for the first time.

From New York Times

“Their nocturnes are so sad, and occasionally their stuff gets a little spooky,” he said.

From New York Times