The Nocturne, as a separate title, began with the piano music of John Field—although there are earlier examples, such as Haydn's Notturni for the King of Naples, but it was popularized by Frederic Chopin. It is a "night piece," a "mood" piece if you will, and I have treated it as such.
The Nocturne in Classical Style started life in response to a request from Carlos Caicedo-Russi, a fellow member of the Delian Society, for his group in Venezuela, which consists of a flute and string quartet. I've kept the style as simple as possible as well as the degree of difficulty, at least in the lower strings. Hence, the "Classical Style" of the title.
The calligraphic ornament above is based on a fourteenth-century design detail appearing in Plate No. 11 of W. R. Tymms, The Art of Illuminating as Practised in Europe from the Earliest Times ... (London: Day and Son, 1860.) The roundel frames above were derived from a fifteenth-century illuminated manuscript depicting the "Vision of Isaiah" attributed to Girolamo Da Cremona, now housed in the Libreria Piccolomini, Duomo, Siena.