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John Field was born in Dublin, Ireland in July 1782 and baptised on September 5th. He made his debut
as pianist at the age of nine in Rotunda Assembly Rooms in his hometown. The following year, the family moved to London, where the
boy was placed under the musical care of Muzio Clementi. Already in 1793, he began performing in public in London, with a repertoire
including concertos by Dussek. His breakthrough as composer came in 1799 with his first pianoconcerto, which he performed at a
charity concert at the Kings Theatre. The concert was a huge succes.
Clementi brought John Field along on his European business tour and in 1803 they came to St.Petersburg,
where Field settled for a period. At first a kind of an ambassador for Clementis business. He was to spend most of his remaining
life within the russian empire, as a teacher, performer and composer. In 1810 he married Mlle Percheron, but the pair never really
settled down and compositions came on a highly irregular basis.
Field achieved a great reputation as a player and teacher during his lifetime. His pupils included
Glinka. His main legacy being the invention of the nocturne.
John Field died in Moscow on January 23, 1837, having suffered from cancer for some years.
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