Chopin’s second Ballade is less well-known than his first and has often been criticized as “less ingenious”. I can see where this sentiment is coming from because I too prefer Chopin’s Ballade No. 1, but I find his Ballade No. 2 – which I fondly call the “Schumann Ballade” – to be a hidden gem.
The story behind this Ballade goes that it was dedicated to “Mr Robert Schumann” in 1840 after Chopin and Schumann met for the second time in 1836. Schumann had dedicated his Kreisleriana Op. 16 “To my friend, Mr F. Chopin” in 1838. The subtle but evident difference in these dedications expresses the relationship the two composers had with each other: while Schumann greatly admired Chopin, Chopin viewed Schumann with complete indifference.
Despite Chopin’s indifference towards Schumann, and the fact that Chopin only met Schumann twice, I can’t help but marvel at how accurately Chopin expressed Schumann’s personality and composing style in the Ballade No. 2. Both the Ballade and its dedicatee can really be described as “bipolar” – calm and tranquil musical motifs alternate with fervent and frenzied ones. Robert Schumann’s varied, often experimental music expresses his tumultuous character, and Fryderyk Chopin, with his Ballade No. 2, captures Schumann’s essence in his own trademark style.
Overall I feel that Chopin really “got” Schumann with the Ballade No. 2, which amazes me because Chopin only met Schumann twice and was indifferent to Schumann as a composer and person. Perhaps Chopin liked Schumann more than he realized, or perhaps Chopin’s ability to create such an accurate portrait of a man after meeting him only twice is a testament to his genius as a composer. Either way, the “Schumann Ballade” will always have a special place in my heart as a hidden gem, a rare but beautiful intersection between the lives of two very different Romantic composers.
Originally posted April 20, 2019 on WordPress
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