­^¤å´£­n¡G The nocturnes of Chopin¡¦s and Faure¡¦s are always considered as mainstay of the pianist¡¦s repertoire. However, The Irish composer, John Field, is really the originator of the genre. Actually, Field was an outstanding pianist who occupied an important position of the development of piano music and establishment of piano playing in his time. His cantilena style of piano playing influenced a lot the later pianists. The purpose of this study is to arouse a new interest in John Field and his nocturnes in particular, which have suffered neglect for a long time. A detail investigation establish the historical significance of the composer who invent the nocturne. This thesis consists of four chapters. Chapter One discusses the definition of Nocturne and the origin of piano nocturne in the early nineteenth century. The title was experimented with several other names before Field settled down Nocturne. The historical background includes the society of Europe at the time, the general musical environments in Europe during the period, the development of piano music and instrument itself, and musical life of John Field. Chapter Two is about creative processes and music style of Field¡¦s nocturnes. A stylistic analysis focus on forms, texture, accompanying patterns, melodies, rhythms, harmony, and poetic idea if detail discussed. Chapter Three were concentrated on the importance of Field¡¦s nocturnes. By quoting what musicians, historians and critics have said or written about the nocturnes of John Field. The influence of Field¡¦s nocturne were be investigated in this chapter. Through the comparison between Field¡¦s nocturnes and Chopin¡¦s nocturnes, one can find that Field¡¦s writing bring strong influence on the piano works of Chopin. Chapter Four concludes the study and discusses the influences on subsequent development of nocturnes in later nineteenth century. Through Chopin the nocturne hold its great artistic status, yet Field was the inventor of nocturne. He was the innovation to the piano music in the music history. Hopefully, this study will help the music students and music lovers understand Field¡¦s musical style and giving more authentic interpretation to Field¡¦s music.