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The short answer
A ballade with a multi-country publication history. Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52 is a ballade by Frédéric Chopin from the Romantic era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 10, an estimate.
- ballade
- Romantic
- Key of F minor
- grand
- melancholic
- octaves
Also known as Ballade number 4.
History
The Society places the Fourth Ballade between 1842 and 1843 and records a dedication to Baroness C. Nathaniel de Rotschild. The bibliography lists French and German issues in 1843, followed by the English issue in 1844.
Sources
What to listen for
A repeated upper call
The introduction begins with repeated G octaves. An inner pattern joins halfway through the bar. Listen to the repeated upper sound above the quieter motion.
The upper line begins to descend
After repeated G octaves, the upper line moves to F and E. The inner pattern continues underneath; hear the small downward turn within the repeated gesture.
A falling line and a longer arrival
The octave line descends through E, D and C before a longer high E. Listen for the contrast between the descent and the sustained arrival.
The introduction gesture returns
A rolled opening sonority leads back to repeated G octaves, followed by F and E. Hear the return as part of a connected introduction, not a new unrelated phrase.
How to practise it
Shape the repeated opening octaves toward their changing contour.
- Practise the repeated Gs softly, then connect the F-E change.
- Practise the descending three-note group into the held arrival.
- Connect the stated opening gestures at a comfortable tempo, keeping their distinct releases.
How hard is it
The concert-level target concerns a coherent full fourth ballade, with controlled independent layers, differentiated contrasts and dependable execution through its long-range arc.
About this piece
- Licence
- Public Domain
- Source
- mutopiaproject.org
More by Frédéric Chopin
- Prelude in A major, Op. 28 No. 7Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
- Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9 No. 2Level 7, estimatedWith Maestro
