John McCabe's Nocturnal For Piano Quintet was composed in 1966, commissioned by the Park Lane Group, London, and first performed by the Lancaster University Ensemble. Duration: Approximately 13 minutes. Composers Note: The title of this work is a reference to John Donne's poem A Nocturnal upon St Lucie's Day, the mood of which is reflected in the quintet. It falls into several movements, played without a break: Introduction (Andante), setting forth the main thematic ideas of the music; Nocturne 1 (Allegro vivo), an agitated, virtuoso, scherzo-like section; a tripartite central part of the work consisting of two Cadenzas framing a brief Interlude, the first Cadenza being largely for strings, the second mainly for piano, and the Interlude harking back to the feeling of the Introduction; Nocturne 2 (Andante molto), a slow piece gradually building to a unison theme on strings accompanied by a tolling piano background. This dies down to lead to an Epilogue, ending with a final reference to the work's opening bars.
| Arrangement | Chamber Group, Piano Chamber, String Instruments |
| Genres | Post-1900 |
| Format | Score, Score and Parts |
| Media | Sheet Music |
| Publisher | Novello, Novello & Co Ltd. |
| Contributors | McCabe, John (Artist) |
| Language | English |