A precursor of Brazilian musical nationalism, Alberto Nepomuceno (1864-1920) belongs to the generation of Brazilian composers of the first republican period, aesthetically tied to romanticism, alongside Francisco Braga (1868-1945), Henrique Oswald (1852-1931), Leopoldo Miguez (1850-1902), and Glauco Velásquez (1884-1914). In his catalogue, there is a “Noturno Op. 33” for piano, composed in 1904. However, the present transcription is of another “Noturno,” the second of two written for piano for the left hand alone, in 1910 and 1912, respectively. They were both premiered in 1919 by the composer’s daughter and dedicatee, Sigrid.
