Nocturnes

“Ms. Tomes brings to her work a commanding authority and an undisguised appreciation. Her writing is never less than clear, sustained by a lifelong commitment to the piano as a practitioner and teacher.”—John Check, Wall Street Journal

“Ingenious and astute. . . . Tomes describes the works of many of the composers here with deft strokes. . . . I learned a lot, and listened to new things and went back to old things. What more might a music book do?”—Stuart Kelly, Scotsman

“Such a lovely idea for a book, and it’s executed wonderfully.”—Mathew Lyons, Broken Compass

“Susan Tomes is a fine pianist who also writes with elegance, grace and erudition—quite a combination. . . .This fascinating study concludes with an image of the nocturne as standing on the threshold of ‘day mind’ and ‘night mind,’ ‘looking both ways—into the light and into the dark.”—Henrietta Bredin, Country Life

“Beguiling . . . [with] those performer’s insights which are such a strength of her writing. . . . Delightful.”—Peter Davidson, Literary Review

“This is a book you won't want to put down, full of fascinating facts and interesting anecdotes, unfailingly engaging and guaranteed to prompt you to rediscover music you thought you already knew, and to discover music you don’t.”—Matthew Ash, Presto Music

“Susan Tomes writes with clarity and warmth, combining scholarly knowledge with the perspective of a practising musician. . . Rich in insight, detail, and musical examples, this engrossing, highly readable book is a must for musicians and music lovers."—Frances Wilson, Interlude

“An enchanting, original voyage through musical history via the nocturne; miniature in form, but presaging two centuries of art and thought about night, sleep and dreams. Ingenious, and engaging.”—Dame Judith Weir, former Master of the King’s Music

“‘Nocturnes are like the prefiguring of a dream . . . we feel we are in an enchanted place’—so says the author, magically leading us there in this wonderfully illuminating survey.”—Sir John Rutter, composer and conductor

“From John Field's curtain-free windows in the St Petersburg twilight to Lowell Liebermann's urban dreams in contemporary America, Susan Tomes takes us on a fascinating, fantastical journey of nocturnal enchantment at the piano, and beyond.”—Sir Stephen Hough, pianist and author of Enough

“Susan Tomes takes us on a fascinating journey into the night. Beautifully written, full of intriguing facts and attractively poetic descriptions, this unusual book is sure to be of interest to musicians and music-lovers alike.”—Steven Isserlis, cellist and author of The Bach Cello Suites



“Ms. Tomes brings to her work a commanding authority and an undisguised appreciation. Her writing is never less than clear, sustained by a lifelong commitment to the piano as a practitioner and teacher.”—John Check, Wall Street Journal

“Ingenious and astute. . . . Tomes describes the works of many of the composers here with deft strokes. . . . I learned a lot, and listened to new things and went back to old things. What more might a music book do?”—Stuart Kelly, Scotsman

“Such a lovely idea for a book, and it’s executed wonderfully.”—Mathew Lyons, Broken Compass

“Susan Tomes is a fine pianist who also writes with elegance, grace and erudition—quite a combination. . . .This fascinating study concludes with an image of the nocturne as standing on the threshold of ‘day mind’ and ‘night mind,’ ‘looking both ways—into the light and into the dark.”—Henrietta Bredin, Country Life

“Beguiling . . . [with] those performer’s insights which are such a strength of her writing. . . . Delightful.”—Peter Davidson, Literary Review

“This is a book you won't want to put down, full of fascinating facts and interesting anecdotes, unfailingly engaging and guaranteed to prompt you to rediscover music you thought you already knew, and to discover music you don’t.”—Matthew Ash, Presto Music

“Susan Tomes writes with clarity and warmth, combining scholarly knowledge with the perspective of a practising musician. . . Rich in insight, detail, and musical examples, this engrossing, highly readable book is a must for musicians and music lovers."—Frances Wilson, Interlude

“An enchanting, original voyage through musical history via the nocturne; miniature in form, but presaging two centuries of art and thought about night, sleep and dreams. Ingenious, and engaging.”—Dame Judith Weir, former Master of the King’s Music

“‘Nocturnes are like the prefiguring of a dream . . . we feel we are in an enchanted place’—so says the author, magically leading us there in this wonderfully illuminating survey.”—Sir John Rutter, composer and conductor

“From John Field's curtain-free windows in the St Petersburg twilight to Lowell Liebermann's urban dreams in contemporary America, Susan Tomes takes us on a fascinating, fantastical journey of nocturnal enchantment at the piano, and beyond.”—Sir Stephen Hough, pianist and author of Enough

“Susan Tomes takes us on a fascinating journey into the night. Beautifully written, full of intriguing facts and attractively poetic descriptions, this unusual book is sure to be of interest to musicians and music-lovers alike.”—Steven Isserlis, cellist and author of The Bach Cello Suites



Susan Tomes is an award-winning pianist and writer, renowned as a soloist and chamber musician. She is the author of numerous highly acclaimed books, including The Piano and Women and the Piano .