Chopin's Ballade

Question 1

A Bars 1 - 4

Answer 1

Repeated note motif (b1)
E/F dissonance (b4)
Perfect in F major (b5)
Bb/C dissonance (b6)

Question 2

A Bars 18, 20 and 40

Answer 2

Acciaccatura

Arpegiated split of chords

Question 3

A Chord Bar 37

Answer 3

Diminished 7th chords

Question 4

A Bars 40 - 44

Answer 4

Falling major 3rds in dotted crotchets

Question 5

A Bar 45

Answer 5

Slow arpeggios and repeated As, serves as a link into the B section

Question 6

B Changes bar 45 - 46

Answer 6

Vastly different tempo (presto)
A change of Mood (con fuoco)
A change of dynamics (suddenly ff)
A change of register (centre of piano to extremes)
A change of notes values (from gentle crotchets and quavers to energetic semiquavers)
A change of mode (F major to A minor)

Question 7

B Bars 46 - 47

Answer 7

Mainly disjunct
Rapidly descending arpeggio figures, followed by ascending broken chord figures
Left hand plays ascending arpeggios in quavers alternating with semiquavers

Question 8

B Keys Bars 46 - 50

Answer 8

46: A minor I
47: A minor vii9
48: A minor I
49: A minor vii9
50: A minor I

Question 9

B Bars 52 - 54

Answer 9

Same diminished chord from bar 37, preparing the ear for the modulation to F minor in bar 54

Question 10

B Bars 54 - 59

Answer 10

Sequence one tone lower than bar 46-51 from A minor to G minor

Question 11

B Bars 60 - 67

Answer 11

Em7 (b60-61) in preparation for a new musical idea starting in bar 62, a two bar dominant pattern, heard first in D minor (b62-63) then F minor (b64-65) and then Ab minor (b66-67)

Question 12

B Bars 70 - 77

Answer 12

Extended diminuendo with right hand descending chords in the key of Ab minor over a left hand ostinato pattern
Secondary dominant chord

Question 13

A ii Bars 82 - 87

Answer 13

Music returns to opening material
Same as b2-7
Bar 7 has the chord progression Ic-IV followed by a rest with a fermata

Question 14

A ii Bars 88 - 94

Answer 14

Development of A section material with modulations to A minor (b90-91), F major (b92-93) and a hint of G minor in (b93-94)

Question 15

A ii Bars 94 - 95

Answer 15

Same dim7 chord as in (b37)

Highly chromatic passage

Question 16

A ii Bars 98 - 107

Answer 16

Key suggestions are Db major, Gb major and Eb minor, although modulations to these keys are not established

Question 17

A ii Bars 107 - 109

Answer 17

Contains many sharps, but again no key firmly established
Instead a rising sequential passage of dotted rhythms builds the intensity of the music, together with a four bar crescendo and the indication stretto

Question 18

A ii Bars 111 - 114

Answer 18

A section material , but with big chords i an extended register and ff dynamic
The dotted rhythm heard in the treble in the A section is now transferred to the bass

Question 19

A ii Bars 144 - 139

Answer 19

Tempo primo and quieter section
Stretto, crescendo, rising dotted pattern and big chords although a semitone lower this time
Chromatically descending and accelerating bass in bar 139 leads to the next section

Question 20

B ii Bars 140 - 155

Answer 20

Tempo changes to presto con fuoco and the musical material of bars 140 - 155 replicates that of bas 46-61
D minor (b140-145)
A minor (b146-155)

Question 21

B ii Bars 156 - 167

Answer 21

Linking passage
Right hand plays rapidly alternating chord in close position and midrange, while the left hand takes up the dotted rhythm of section A

Question 22

B ii Bars 166 - 167

Answer 22

Contain powerful, descending trills in both hands, with crescendo

Question 23

C Bars 178 - 179

Answer 23

Descending inner part (b178)
Syncopation (b178-179)
Leadping bass (b178)

Question 24

C Bars 188 - 195

Answer 24

Intensity rises with further crescendo, increased chromaticism and rising sequences until most of the keyboard is being used in leaps and chords

Question 25

C Bar 196

Answer 25

Arpeggiated B7 flat 5

Feels like it should resolve to E minor or C major, but moves to A minor

Question 26

Codetta ending

Answer 26

Return to the material of the opening bars, this time in octave As instead of Cs, followed by the A section theme
After seven quavers silence, there is a gentle perfect cadence in A minor