Yamada, on his way back from studying in Berlin from 1910 to 1913, stayed in Moscow for about a week, where he was deeply impressed by the piano works of Scriabin (1872–1915). For Yamada, who had studied classical German music and spent his days in Berlin where late Romantic music still prevailed, Scriabin's music must have felt fresh. It is said that he heard Scriabin's Poèmes in Moscow. Yamada subsequently became devoted to Scriabin.

Poème de la Nuit (composed March 20, 1917) and Unforgettable Moscow Night (composed April 28, 1917) were premiered on July 10, 1917, at "Mr. Kosaku Yamada's Second Works Presentation Concert," with the composer himself performing on the piano. Although not originally a cycle, they were compiled as Pieces Dedicated to Scriabin ("Les poèmes à Scriabin") when the first edition was published by Composer’s Music Corporation in New York in 1919. The title Unforgettable Moscow Night expresses the encounter with Scriabin's works and the profound impression they made. Yamada's use of the term "Poème" (詩曲) changed around 1915 to "Petit Poème" (短詩曲). Yamada's series of "Petit Poèmes" is known in Japanese as "A Page from a Diary," and these are musical diaries, with only dates indicated until mid-1916. Gradually, they began to be accompanied by poetic titles, and Poème de la Nuit and Unforgettable Moscow Night are also considered to follow this genre.