John Field was a Irish musical composer and pianist, was born at Dublin on July 26, 1782. He came of a musical family, his father being a violinist, and his grandfather the organist in one of the churches of Dublin. From the latter the boy received his first musical education. When a few years later the family settled in London, Field became the favourite pupil of Clementi, whom he accompanied to Paris for the purpose of showing off the Clementi pianos, and later, in 1802, on his great concert tour through France, Germany and Russia. Field appeared in pubic in most of the great European capitals, and remained in St. Petersburg as a teacher of music when Clementi returned ta England.

His marriage with a French lady of the name of Charpentier was anything but happy, and had soon to be dissolved. Field made frequent concert tours to the chief cities of Russia, and m 1820 settled permanently in Moscow. In 1831 he came to England for a short time, and for the next four years led a wandering life in France, Germany and Italy.