The Ballades of Chopin: An Overview
A crowning achievement by Poland's greatest composer
The Ballade within the history is not new by any means. It started as a vocal work dating back to medieval Europe as a narrative work; in the 19th century, am innovation in the ballade came through: it also became an instrumental work through Chopin. Dorota Zakrzewska wrote in Adam Mickiewicz's "Ballady" and Chopin's Ballades that the four ballades have their inspiration from Poland’s national poet, Adam Mickiewicz; the inspiration for each of the four remains unknown. The four ballades are spread apart within nine years in composition; Chopin had a hard time composing these so he thought so to give pianists are hard time too in playing them. Here are the four:
G minor (to Baron Nathaniel von Stockhausen)
F major (to Robert Schumann)
A flat major (to Pauline de Noailles)
F minor (to Madame Nathaniel de Rothschild)
The first one took a considerable amount of time to be formed as Chopin was wondering what the form ought to be; the form eventually became a sonata form mixed with variations: introduction, exposition, development, exposition with themes in reverse, and coda. It is a work of genius for the first entry of four grandiose works. It is also the most well known. Cinephiles will know this piece upon watching Roman Polański’s The Pianist which narrates the survival story of Polish pianist Władysław Szpilman. The second reflects Schumann all too well. One can note the dedicatee’s personalities of Eusebius and Florestan all too well in the ballades ABAB form. It is also the only ballade to end in a key far from the tonic, in A minor. It is calm and stormy all in one go with no sense of relief at the end. The third is the happiest of the four. In the opinion of the author, it is also his most accessible to listen and for pianists to learn. The form is an arch: ABCBA. The joy of the music also reflects its pastoral character and a sense of triumph. The last one is the most difficult of them all, musically and technically. Its form is similar to the first without the reversing of the themes in its recapitulation; it also has more variations on its 1st theme. Most notable about this particular ballade is its dense counterpoint. This ballade what the author may say is Chopin’s crowning achievement as a composer.
Here is Stanislav Neuhaus performing the four ballades in his last recital in January 18, 1980 —tragic fact: Neuhaus died five days later.