The Nocturne and Scherzo is an example of quintessential Foote. It is an aggregate of skillful techniques and musical ideas used by Foote through his career. In fact, the Scherzo section is a revised arrangement of the Scherzo movement from the unpublished String Quartet No. 2, Op. 32. The work was also a bit of a departure from his usual Germanic approach. The flowing melodic lines of the Nocturne and the light whimsical feeling of the Scherzo suggest more of a French flavor. Still, the conservative pleasant-sounding elements usually associated with Foote are far from lost.

The Nocturne and Scherzo for some time was a point of confusion. In 1929, Foote stated during radio broadcast that the work came about when he was commissioned by the San Francisco Chamber Music Society. But, two years prior he said that it was composed for George Laurent (longtime principal flutist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra) and his Flute Players Club. The work was in fact written with a dedication to the Chamber Music Society of San Francisco, who also performed the premiere in 1919. However, Foote's first hearing of it was of Laurent at a Flute Players Club recital in 1920. Also in attendance at the recital was the conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Monteux, who prompted Foote to arrange it for flute and string orchestra. The result was an arrangement of the Nocturne titled A Night Piece. Therefore, the chamber version has also been referred to as A Night Piece or A Night Piece and Scherzo.

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