Ballade No. 4 (Chopin)

Ballade No. 4
Ballade by Frédéric Chopin
Autograph manuscript, Bodleian Library, 1842
KeyF minor
Opus52
Composed1842
Published1843

The Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52 is a ballade for solo piano by Frédéric Chopin, completed in 1842 in Paris.[1] It is commonly considered one of the masterpieces of 19th-century piano music.[2]

Of the four ballades, it is considered by many pianists to be the most difficult, both technically and musically.[3][4] It is also the longest, taking around ten to twelve minutes to perform. According to John Ogdon, it is "the most exalted, intense and sublimely powerful of all Chopin's compositions... It is unbelievable that it lasts only twelve minutes, for it contains the experience of a lifetime."[5]

  1. ^ Samson, Jim (1992). Chopin: the Four Ballades. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511611650. ISBN 9780511611650.
  2. ^ Samson, Jim (2001). "Chopin, Fryderyk Franciszek [Frédéric François]". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference ourchopin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Huneker was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Chopin Music: Ballades". 13 June 2009. Archived from the original on 27 January 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2010.