Nocturne en Duo B major

The "Nocturne" was a popular genre of composition in the romantic period. However, the term did not only confine itself to the -obvious- "night piece" of a dreamy-sentimental character, it also referred in part to the serenade or divertimento. Bochsa liked to work in this genre. He was a master of the harp, his main instrument, and since it was of a congenial character, he wrote a whole series of nocturnes for harp accompanied by various instruments. The violoncello part was arranged by Louis Duport, the alternative version for violin by Rodolphe Kreutzer. The differences in phrasing and articulation to be found in the solo parts are due to the particular technical features of violoncello and violin.