Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) composed four Ballades during his lifetime. The first, Ballade No. 1, Op. 23, composed in 1831, pioneered a new genre of piano music.

From the 18th to the mid-19th century, the term 'ballade' in music was exclusively used for vocal works. In Chopin's time, while Schubert (1797-1828)'s Lieder gained popularity, vocal works based on poems by Goethe (1749-1832), Schiller (1759-1805), and Lenau (1802-1850) were written by composers such as Schumann (1810-1856) and Loewe (1796-1869). Chopin was the first to apply the term 'ballade' to an instrumental work, thus positioning him as the pioneer of the ballade genre in piano music.

Etymology and Origin

While the French 'ballade' and English 'ballad' originally belonged to different genres, both derive from the Greek 'ballizo' (βαλλίζω) and Latin 'ballare,' meaning 'to dance.' As indicated by their shared etymology with 'ballet,' which developed as a stage dance, ballades are also deeply connected to dance. From the Middle Ages onward, the form's status as poetry was elevated by troubadours in France. In England, ballads were sung as dance songs in the 14th century, and from the 18th century onward, they developed into narrative poems with strong melodic elements.

As a Precursor to Romantic Literature

In the late 18th century, German poets enthusiastically engaged in the creation of ballades, opening new frontiers in German literary and musical history. The key figures in this development were Goethe and Schiller. Goethe's and Schiller's ballades reflected the social climate around the French Revolution, where freedom from despotism and oppression was advocated, and also promoted the awakening of national consciousness. Their thematic characteristics include realistic depictions of war, crime, psychic phenomena, and mystical experiences, often based on folklore and mythology. Such literary works led to the development of Lieder, with many ballades (vocal works) being created by Zelter (1758-1832), Loewe, and others.

In the early 19th century, German ballades were translated into Polish, influencing Polish Romantic writers, including Mickiewicz (1798-1855). English ballads were also introduced around the same time. Polish ballades, adopting the characteristics of these foreign narrative poems, featured depictions of the humiliating national situation under foreign rule and expressions of patriotism. It was due to the nature of these works that the secret police of the Russian Empire viewed Mickiewicz's ballades as dangerous.

Chopin's Ballades

Chopin's four Ballades have been associated with Mickiewicz's ballades. While there are differing opinions on the direct connection between the music and the poems, it is believed that Ballade No. 1, Op. 23, was inspired by 'Konrad Wallenrod'; Ballade No. 2, Op. 38, by 'Świteź'; Ballade No. 3, Op. 47, by 'Świtezianka'; and Ballade No. 4, Op. 52, by 'The Three Budrys.' This attribution largely relies on Schumann's testimony, but it cannot be definitively stated that Chopin attempted to set Mickiewicz's works to music.

An overview of Chopin's life as a composer reveals a figure who was reluctant to compose operas, program music, or sacred music, and instead insisted on expressing his unique Romantic worldview through the piano. For such a Chopin, Mickiewicz's narrative poems, which keenly articulated the Polish spirit, are thought to have been an aspiration and an ideal. Departing for Vienna in 1830 with dreams of musical success, Chopin moved away from popular historical operas and works using popular song melodies, stepping onto the main path of Romanticism, where 'sincere emotional expression' was the primary concern. The Ballades, composed in this context, represent a new genre of music—'narrative poems for piano'—and are monumental works for Chopin, defining his direction as a composer. Their main characteristic lies in their meticulous crafting of unique structures and forms, incorporating the essence of the ballade as previously described, thereby completing a musical narrative poem. Another feature is the presence of elements that evoke literary connections, such as melodic inflections that suggest narrative, and clear structures of light and shadow.

Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, Op. 47

Composed in 1841 and dedicated to Mademoiselle de Noailles, Ballade No. 3 is one of the works Chopin himself most enjoyed performing.

Schumann remarked on this work: "This Ballade is Chopin's third, and it differs remarkably in form and character from his earlier works. It is one of Chopin's most original compositions."

 Indeed, as Schumann noted, when compared to the two earlier ballades and the fourth ballade completed in 1842, which were deeply tragic in character, this light and graceful work appears almost anomalous. Some even held the opinion that this work, filled with cheerfulness, fortitude, and lightness, was far removed from 'the image of Chopin himself as a composer.' In this regard, the anonymous writer Israfil, published in the periodical 'The Dome,' stated:

"Under what strange influence did Chopin write this Ballade in A-flat major? In its boyish vigor and spirited lightness, it is entirely unlike Chopin himself. It is very youthful, exceedingly bold, and highly successful. Instead of concluding with a commonplace melancholic ending, it progresses logically towards a happy finale."

 In 1841, while working on Ballade No. 3, Chopin was leading a fulfilling life both personally and professionally. Freed from the illness he contracted in Majorca, Chopin, enjoying fulfilling days in Nohant and Paris, composed a ballade with a joyful character, suggestive of a happy ending. This is likely due to the composer's inner state being deeply linked to the work.

 There is a theory that this work was inspired by Mickiewicz's narrative poem 'Świtezianka.' While some views consider this theory highly plausible, the truth remains uncertain.

 Willeby points out a similarity between the opening phrase of Ballade No. 3 and the introduction to Scherzo No. 3, Op. 54. Here, a musical figure suggesting 'question and answer' is presented, simultaneously introducing the main theme (first subject) of the piece. The subsequent syncopation is a pervasive characteristic of this work, sometimes described as a 'horse-kick rhythm' (Leichtentritt). Set to this light rhythm, a charming second subject in F major is presented. This theme modulates as if to indicate fluctuating emotions, evoking intensity and bravery, before returning to its original form. In the development section, a continuous stream of sixteenth notes plays a graceful melody, while the left-hand arpeggios lead the piece to its climax. After the second subject modulates and is played in a form different from its original, the first subject is fragmentarily recalled amidst a fluctuating, unsettling atmosphere in C-sharp minor. In the coda, the first subject is brilliantly recapitulated, and the piece concludes amidst a radiant and magnificent sound.

References (All citations in the text are based on these sources.)

• Chopin Ballades: New Edition with Commentary (Commentary by Kazumichi Oshima), Tokyo: Ongaku no Tomo Sha, 2014.
• Barbedette, Hippolyte, Chopin: Essai de critique musicale, Paris: Leiber, éditeur, librairie centrale des sciences, 1861.
• Huneker, James, Mezzotints in Modern Music: Brahms, Tschaïkowsky, Chopin, Richard Strauss, Liszt and Wagner, New York, Scribner, 1901.
• Huneker, James, Chopin: The Man and His Music, New York: Dover Publications, 1966.
• Karasowski, Moritz, Frederic Chopin, Volume 2, New York: Scribner, 1906.
• Leichtentritt, Hugo, Frédéric Chopin, Berlin: Harmonie, 1905.
• Niecks, Frederick, Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician, London, Novello and Co., 1902.
• Samson, Jim, Chopin: The Four Ballades, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
• Taruskin, Richard, The Oxford History of Western Music: Music in the Nineteenth Century, vol. 3, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Tomaszewski, Mieczysław, Chopin: Człowiek, Dzieło, Rezonans, Kraków: Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne, 2005.
• Willeby, Charles, Frederic François Chopin, London: Sampson low, Marston & Company, 1892.