A major work from his mature period, written immediately after the end of World War II. It is Migot's first work bearing the title 'Nocturne' since Trois Nocturnes dantesques (1933–1934). While technically simpler than its predecessor, it exudes a serene maturity through the depth of its contemplative musical ideas, its grand structure, and its masterful writing that freely manipulates both polyphony and homophony. Migot, who aligned himself neither with Neoclassicism nor with the various avant-garde movements, consistently pursued his own unique modernity, seeking models in Renaissance and Baroque music. Consequently, this work fundamentally differs from Romantic and modern nocturnes. Although essentially not music in the lineage of Chopin or Fauré, a certain respect for his predecessors can be discerned in the homophonic passages. Overall, the work is dominated by grating, leaden sonorities and elusive musical ideas that float and transform. Guy Sacre positioned this work as Migot's most introspective, remarking that it "unfolds endlessly in scenes of brooding introspection, paying no heed to external sounds, nor attempting to perceive landscapes" (Sacre, Guy. 1998. La musique de piano T.02. Paris: Robert Laffont). Even for Sacre, a connoisseur of rare insight, it seems to be a particularly weighty piece. Does this imply that its challenging nature predominates to such an extent?

Movements and History

• No. 1: Lent, modéré, pathétique et tendre (4/4)
  Completed in May 1945, dedicated to pianist Valérie Soudères.
• No. 2: Allant, tendrement et clair (3/4)
  Completed in September 1945, dedicated to Y. M., the composer's wife, Yvonne Migot. Sacre described this second movement as the most accessible of the four. It might be a good idea to begin with this movement.
• No. 3: Andante, funèbre (3/2)
  Completed in August 1945, dedicated In memoriam C. M., Céleste Marchal, the composer's long-time inseparable friend. The third movement is a particularly large-scale piece of mourning music.
  At this point, the first three movements were compiled as Trois Nocturnes en forme de Suite. After a revision in July 1946, a separately composed piece was added as the fourth movement.
• No. 4: Modéré, avec souplesse (4/4)
  Completed in March 1946, dedicated to pianist Elen Foster.

The work was finally comprehensively revised in October 1949 and published in its current form as Quatre Nocturnes. The premieres were given by Valérie Soudères, the dedicatee of No. 1, at the Migot Music Festival on December 19, 1951, in the auditorium of the École Normale de Musique (No. 1 only), and at the second Migot Music Festival on March 18, 1953 (No. 4 only).