Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52, was composed in 1842 in Paris and Nohant and revised in 1843. The work was dedicated to Baroness Rothschild, wife of Nathaniel de Rothschild,[2] who had invited Chopin to play in her Parisian residence, where she introduced him to the aristocracy and nobility. According to Robert Schumann, this Ballade was inspired by Adam Mickiewicz's poem The Three Budrys, which tells of three brothers sent away by their father to seek treasures, and the story of their return with three Polish brides.[14] A phrase in the dominant key (marked piano) opens the seven introductory measures and leads into the first subject of sonata-form exposition, a melody with Slavonic coloration. The first theme undergoes four cumulative transformations with decorations, counter-melodies, counterpoint, and a nocturne-like fioritura.[15] The development of the second theme and its intertwining with the first heightens the complexity of the musical structure and builds tension. Through the intertwining and thus the simultaneous development of the two themes, Chopin effectively combines the use of both the sonata form and the variation form.[7] The body of the piece concludes with a series of accented fortissimo chords, followed by a momentary calm of five pianissimo chords. This then suddenly leads into an extremely fast, turbulent coda, written in exuberant counterpoint. Structurally Ballade No. 4 is decidedly intricate.[1][2] A distinguishing feature of the fourth Ballade is its contrapuntal nature. Counterpoint is found only sporadically in Ballades Nos. 1 and 2. The fourth Ballade is musically more subtle than the other three, as most of its portions remain melancholic and profound. Although there are some substantial outbursts in the central sections of the music, the coda reveals its greatest momentum. Of the four Ballades, it is considered by many pianists to be the most difficult, both technically and musically.[1][2] 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."[16] It has been used in television and cinema including The Bourne Supremacy and The West Wing.[citation needed] Notes[edit] ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Chopin: Complete Music Analysis – Ballades ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Huneker, James (1921). Chopin: the Man and his Music. p. 414. ISBN 1-60303-588-5. Retrieved 2010-01-05. Jump up ^ Zakrzewska, Dorota (1999). "Adam Mickiewicz's "Ballady" and Chopin's Ballades". Polish Music Journal 2 (1–2). ISSN 1521-6039. Retrieved 2010-01-07. ^ Jump up to: a b Nicholas, Jeremy (2007). Chopin: His Life and Music. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks MediaFusion. p. 268. ISBN 1-4022-0757-3. Jump up ^ Orga, Ateş (1978). Chopin. p. 64. ISBN 9780846704164. Jump up ^ Anh L. Tran. "Chopin: Work List – Illustrations, Quotes, Dedications". Retrieved 2010-01-07. ^ Jump up to: a b How to Play Chopin: Chopin's Ballades, Prof. Regina Smendzianka Jump up ^ Chopin Saved My Life at the Internet Movie Database Jump up ^ Cookson, Michael. "Review: Recording of the Month". MusicWeb International. Retrieved 15 October 2014. Jump up ^ Winter, Robert (24 April 2014). "He Dove In and Did It". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved 15 October 2014. Jump up ^ Niecks, Frederick (1888). Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician. Novello. Jump up ^ "The Music Of Veronica Mars: Episode 1-15: "Ruskie Business"". Mars Investigations: The (In)Complete Guide to Veronica Mars. Retrieved January 12, 2015. Jump up ^ Steward Gordon. A History of Keyboard Literature. (California: Schirmer, 1996), 291–292. Jump up ^ Foreword, The Ballads of Chopin, Salabert Editions. An English version of the poem can be found here Jump up ^ Chopin: Profile of his Music: Extended Forms: Ballades, Scherzos and Fantasies Jump up ^ "Chopin Music: Ballades". 2009-06-13. Archived from the original on 27 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-06. External Links Analysis of Chopin's Ballades at Chopin: the poet of the piano Detailed study guide of Chopin's ballades, including sheet music and recordings of each piece Chopin's G minor Ballade, Op. 23, a look inside by Beth Levin, La Folia Online Music Review Chopin and the G minor Ballade, University essay by David Björling "Listen to Chopin" Blog post about the Ballade No. 1 by Arthur Greene Read more on the Ballade No. 3 and hear the performance at the Chopin Project site Free scores for all four Ballades can be found on the Chopin page at IMSLP, or on the Chopin page at Musopen Krystian Zimerman performs the Ballades on YouTube: No. 1 · No. 2 · No. 3 Ballade No. 4 on YouTube, Arthur Rubinstein