On the Chopin ballade in g minor

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The purpose of this end-of-course article is to offer a comprehensive analysis of Fredyryk Chopin’s Ballade in G Minor, Op. 23., Nr. 1 as edited by G. Henle USA. This article will discuss the comprehensive elements of Chopin’s Ballade in G minor and will consider the issues of form and tonal schemes.

Said to have been inspired by the poet Adam Mickiewicz, 1 Chopin composed the Ballade in G Minor between 1835-36, during his earliest tenure in Paris.

Chopin’s Ballade in G Minor has been one of the most popular and more frequently programmed of his four Ballades and exists as a staple for many of the greatest pianists of today.

The opening statement of the Ballade in G minor is a good specimen for comparison of the elements that follow in the rest of the ballade.

Example 1 Largo - Chopin Ballade in G Minor, Op. 23., Nr. 1



In the opening of the ballade, marked Largo in 4/4, a low C2 octave claimed by both hands ascends rhythmically by eighth notes through the Neapolitan (A-flat) of the intended key of G minor to a high C6 and descends through a written diminuendo into F-sharp, the leading tone of G minor. As the opening statement descends, its message is interrupted by a three beat rest which halts on a dubious E-flat Major 7 chord. This chord is carried into the start of the moderato section as a low D2 evokes the underlying quality of the moderato now in 6/4. The rhythm of the 6/4 meter suggests a latent waltz-like quality that is only reinforced by the offbeat chords. Further evidence of this waltz-like quality exists in the the portamento style writing of the offbeat chords. While the rhythm of the 6/4 meter suggests a latent waltz-like quality, in each offbeat chord, the quarter notes are slurred under the portame...

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...r by his contemporaries. While Chopin is seen as one of the first to pioneer the ballade as a musical form, various studies on the musical form of his ballades debate whether the musical structure of these works are derivative of sonata form or whether they are inherently exclusive, departing from the traditional categories which were more pervasive during the period; e.g. sonata allegro form, rondo form, and theme and variation. Given the obvious presence of theme, second theme, and variations on the second theme, it can be suggested that Chopin’s ideas for the form of ballade is similar to the structure of a theme and variation; however, as stated in many of the studies on this ballade, further analysis is needed in order to answer the question on whether the ballade is new musical form, a variant of sonata form, or theme and variation cannot be fully answered.

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