Chopin Preludes, Ballade in F minor

The Romanticists were the creators of the miniature musical form, of the short piano piece. Frederic Chopin (1810 - 1849) was, alongside Robert Schumann, the greatest master of such short forms. Mazurkas, Waltzes, Polonaises, Impromptus, and in particular Etudes and the Preludes, op. 28 are the prototypes of this genre for the piano. In the Etudes, the composer was obliged to keep to a certain length in the work.

In the Preludes he is not bound to any specifications - the pieces are small, elaborate poems in music. The smallest (No. 9 in E Major) is only 12 bars in length; another rushes past within a few seconds (No. 10 in C-sharp minor).

A true Chopinesque dreamlike nocturne is also to be found among them (No. 13 in F-sharp Major), as well as a brilliant technical study suggestive of the Etudes (No. 8 in F-sharp minor) and also a passionate musical portrait (No. 24 in D minor) which apparently was suggested by the tragic uprising of Warsaw in 1881. Some Preludes (No. 15 in D-flat Major and No. 6 in B minor) give one the feeling that they were born of some deeply personal occurrence which took place during Chopin's sojourn in Majorca, together with George Sand. Elsewhere we can sense the magic of a simple, carefree mazurka melody (No. 7 in A Major). On the other side of Chopin's expressive range we find the melancholy Funeral March (No. 20 in C minor) which dwindles away quietly and the terrifying vision of death (No. 16 in B-flat minor). Following the gracefully surging Barcarolle (No. 11 in B Major) is the vivid picture of a turbulent carnival. It is quite simply a kaleidoscope of moods, in which the keys chosen follow the order of the circle of fifths and which have been amalgamated by a genial artist to form a homogenous cycle.

The works were composed independently of one another over several years. Their definitive form was finally achieved while Chopin was in Majorca at the turn of the year 1888 - 1889. Robert Schumann saw the works as "sketches, beginnings of etudes or if you wish ruins, single eagle feathers". For us today, it is quite clear that they form one of the highlights of Romantic music.

The Lithuanian Ballades by Adam Mickiewicz gave Chopin the idea of composing four works for piano in which a broad narrative tone dominates. The last of the four ballades, the Ballade in F minor, Op. 52 which was written in 1842 has a very complicated form which combines sonata, variation and rondo elements. Chopin wrote this Ballade for a concert held in the Parisian salon of Prince Radziwill to which a number of important aristocrats and members from financial circles were invited. He filled the work with all manner of technical pianistic refinements. The piece is treasured by concert pianists and holds great attraction for the listener.