Ballade no.3 - Op.47: Ab-major

Recording by Rubinstein

The piece starts out sounding like a dance, which got me wondering what "Ballade" actually means. (According to Wikipedia, piano ballads are narrative in style. I couldn't find anything that said they are supposed to be like a dance, but Wikipedia DID say that Chopin frequently wrote ballades in 6/8 time.) After a free-spirited section, the beginning motif is repeated. Chopin has a very simple rhythmic pattern that occurs here, but because of his emphasis on the off-beats, interest is still retained. (The emphasis is on the third and sixth beats, instead of on the first and fourth.) The short sostenuto section before the third return to the melody contains an emotional peak. After making a key change to E Major, the pianist is allowed to show his skills through a rapid, fast-moving section. Further on, after going back to Ab Major, the pianist is challenged with simultaneous chords that span an octave. After descending arpeggio-like sixteenth notes, the piece ends dramatically on an Ab Major chord.