Ballade in F major

The Ballade No. 2 in F major, Op. 38 is the second of the four ballades for piano solo by Frédéric Chopin. It was composed from 1836 to 1839 in Nohant, France and on the Spanish island of Majorca. Chopin dedicated this work to Robert Schumann, who had dedicated his Kreisleriana, Op. 16 to Chopin. This ballade, as with the following two ballades, is in 6/8 time signature. (The first ballade is in a different signature: 6/4.) It opens quietly, on r... more

The Ballade No. 2 in F major, Op. 38 is the second of the four ballades for piano solo by Frédéric Chopin. It was composed from 1836 to 1839 in Nohant, France and on the Spanish island of Majorca. Chopin dedicated this work to Robert Schumann, who had dedicated his Kreisleriana, Op. 16 to Chopin. This ballade, as with the following two ballades, is in 6/8 time signature. (The first ballade is in a different signature: 6/4.) It opens quietly, on repeated Cs with F major being the clear tonic key. The introductory motif maintains a soft, lyric tone which is complemented by an SATB type arrangement and the performance instruction "sotto voce" (literally "under the voice" or hushed). The section concludes with a gentle perfect cadence. In stark contrast to the first section, the second section of the ballade opens with a dramatic A minor arpeggioed outburst marked "presto con fuoco" ("fast with fire"). Although clearly differing in tempo and key, these two contrasting sections are... less