Chopin's 4 Ballades

           What is program music?

                A 19th century ballade has its roots in a 14th or 15th century French or 

        Italian poem (ballata), sometimes set to music.  It was generally a narrative, 

        and often epic (e.g. a tale of great deeds). 

                The idea of a musical ballade was revived in the late 18th century.  But 

         Chopin's four ballades were instrumental works.  

                 It has been claimed that Chopin's ballades were program music pieces 

         inspired by the poems of the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz.  Chopin may 

         have been inspired by that sense of Mickiewicz's Romantic poetry, but there 

         isn't any evidence that any Chopin ballade was related to any specific 

         Mickiewicz poem.   They did, however, share the same sense of mystery, 

         fantasy, and peculiar atmosphere and also the poetry of Johann Wolfgang 

          von Goethe and Heinrich Heine.

 

                     Other 19th century ballades:  Clara Schumann, Ballade in D minor (1836), 

           César Franck, Ballade, Op. 9 (1844), Franz Liszt, Ballade in D-flat major, (1845–48) 
          and Ballade in B minor (1853),  Johannes Brahms, 4 Ballades, Op. 10 (1854), Edvard 
          Grieg, Ballade in the Form of Variations on a Norwegian Folk Song, Op. 24 (1875–76), 
          Gabriel Fauré, Ballade, Op. 19 (1881), Claude Debussy, Ballade (1891, revised 1903), 
          Amy Beach, Ballad, Op. 6 (1894), George Enescu, Ballade (1894)



     Chopin's Ballades:

          Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23  (1831)

                       Finished 41st on TalkClassical.com poll of greatest solo keyboard compositions.  

                             A good article on Ballade No. 1


          Ballade No. 2 in F major, Op. 38  (1836-39)

                        Finished 105th on TalkClassical.com poll of greatest solo keyboard compositions. 

           Ballade No. 3 in A♭ major, Op. 47  (1841)

                       Finished 175th on TalkClassical.com poll of greatest solo keyboard compositions.  

 

          Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52  (1842, rev. 1843)

                       Finished 8th on TalkClassical.com poll of greatest solo keyboard compositions. 
 
                  Ballade No. 4 is one of Chopin's most sophisticated and popular works.  It
                  is considered one of the greatest works of the Romantic era.  
                  (Ballade No. 1 is also a  Chopin favorite).

                                       A good article on Ballade No. 4


      Ballade No. 1 in G minor  -  Valentina Lisitsa, piano

                What is sonata-form?


                   Part 1  -  Introduction & Theme 1  (2:24)  G minor

                          After a roaming and wistful  45 second introduction, a gentle, 

                          melancholic, minor key Theme 1 appears and lasts 1 minute and 

                          45 seconds. 


                   Part 2  -  Modulatory Bridge  (60 secs)  Multiple keys

                          Then comes a more passionate 60 ascent through multiple keys 

                           to reach the key of E flat major where Theme 2 will be played. 


                   Part 3  -  Theme 2  (1:40)   E flat major

                          Coming out of fiery development section, theme 2 returns but 

                          played much faster, louder and more passionately than it had

                          been played before the development section. 


                   Part 4  -  Development Section  (2:00)  Many Keys

                          First shorter versions of Theme 1 and Them 2 reappear in A minor 

                          and A major, but this time there is more passion and great elaborated. 

                          After 60 seconds, there is a one minute burst of bright, playful fantasy, 

                          which leads back to the closing themes.  


                   Part 5  -  Theme 2, Theme 1  & Coda  (2:06) 

                          Coming out of fiery development section, Theme 2 returns but 

                           played much faster, louder and more passionately than it had 

                           been played before the development section.  It then gradually calms 

                           down and then Theme 1 returns in its original soft and quiet 

                           manner to end the work with a brief coda.