Ballads

[Peter1953]

After listening once again to Chopin's wonderful Ballads, I've done some searching on the internet. An informative article on Piano Ballads can be found on Wikipedia, see here. It presents also an overview of some Ballads.

Some other Ballads I found in my CD collection are:
-Bortkiewicz, Ballade for piano in C Sharp minor, op. 42
-Draeseke, Ballad for piano and cello in B minor, op. 7
-Dreyschock, Ballad for piano in A major, op. 104
-Fontana, Ballad for piano, op. 17
-Henselt, Ballade for piano in B flat major, op. 31
-Jenner, 3 Ballads for piano (No.1 in E minor, No.2 in E flat minor, No.3 in F Sharp minor)
-Röntgen, Ballad for violin and orchestra; Ballad on a Norwegian Folk Song for orchestra
-Rozycki, Ballad for piano and orchestra, op. 18
-Tellefsen, Ballad for piano, op. 28
-Wieniawski (Jóseph), Ballad for piano in E flat minor, op. 31

I'm wondering if members know more Ballads by unsung composers, not only for the piano, but also for other ensembles, which are worth listening.

[Lionel Harrsion]

Jumping on my usual hobby-horse, there are two Ballads by Coleridge-Taylor: one for Violin and Orchestra in D minor op 4 and the second in C minor op 73 for Violin and Piano.  The op 4 also exists in an arrangement by the composer for Violin and Piano and in this form it has been recorded by Michael Ludwig (vln) and Virginia Eskin (pno) for Koch International (still available as a download).  The op 73 (a wonderful piece IMHO) is, of course, coupled with the Nash Ensemble's recording of SCT's Piano Quintet and Clarinet Quintet.

[Lionel Harrsion]

Oh, and SCT's Ballad in A minor op 33 for Orchestra, of course!

[JimL]

The Fauré Ballade for Piano and Orchestra is one of the most challenging concertante works for pianists in the repertoire.

[jerfilm]

Well, there are LOTS of them.  Here's a sample from my collection.  There are many more......

Theodore Dubois         Ballade for violin and piano
Halfdan Cleve          Ballade tragica for solo piano, opus 22
Eduard Caudella         Dochia – Ballad for tenor and orch, (1905)
Ciprian Porembescu         Ballad for violin and orchestra
Horatio Parker         Northern Ballad
Otakar Ostrcil         The Orphans Tale – ballad for soprano and orch, op 9
Viteslav Novak         Four Ballads on Moravian Tunes for chorus & orch
Jose Viana de Mota         Ballada – solo piano
Moritz Moszkowski         Ballade for violin and orch, in g, opus 16 #1
Karl Loewe         Herr Oluf – ballad for bass and piano
Anatoli Liadov         Ballad for piano
Sigurd Lie            Wartburg- ballad for baritone and orchestra
Jan Kunc            Ballad for Alto & orch, Katherine on the Danube Bank
Rudolf Kattnig         Exotische Hirton Balladen for piano and orchestra
Hans Huber         Ballad and Romance for piano, opus 104 #4
Georg Haentzschel         Amerika – ballad for piano and orchestra
Arthur Foote         Ballad for violin and piano, opus 69
Granville Bantock         Two Heroic Ballads
Arno Babadzanian         Heroic Ballade for piano and orchestra

Jerry

[JimL]

Since a ballad is a form of poetry, I suggest we confine our lists to purely instrumental ballads (or ballades).  It's easy to set a pre-existing vocal ballad to music and call it a ballad.

[Alan Howe]

Since a ballad is a form of poetry, I suggest we confine our lists to purely instrumental ballads (or ballades).  It's easy to set a pre-existing vocal ballad to music and call it a ballad.

And I suggest that we keep the thread as open as possible...

[JimL]

Well, did someone already mention Stanford's Ballade and Ballabile for Cello and Orchestra?  If not, consider it done.

[Amphissa]

I've seen the term "ballad" (in various languages) used to title a lot of pieces. Even after reading assorted articles and definitions online, I just do not grasp the distinction between a ballad and a poem when describing an orchestral piece, with or without soloist.

Can someone enlighten me of the distinction?

[Alan Howe]

Let's not get into a debate about definitions: let's stay with pieces of music that simply carry the title...

[Amphissa]

Who said anything about debating? But I don't want to hijack this thread, so I'll open a new thread instead.

[alberto]

I would list first three works I quite like:
-Germaine Tailleferre Ballade (piano and orch.)
-Charles Koechlin Ballade (piano and orch.)
-Henry Tomasi Ballade (saxopohone and orch.)
Further:
-Roy Harris American Ballads (piano)
-Frederic Rzewsky (North American Ballads (piano)
-Frank Martin various (tenor sax or trombone and orch.
Piano and Orch.
Cello and small orch.
Viola and ensemble
Alto sax and orch.
Flute and piano (or orch.)

[Rob H]

The Fauré Ballade for Piano and Orchestra is one of the most challenging concertante works for pianists in the repertoire.

Wasn't this the one piece that confounded Liszt's sight-reading skills?

How about:
Tausig: "Ghost ship" Ballade
Liszt: 2 Ballades
If we start digging this is going to be an huge list - at least the question wasn't about Preludes or Etudes or we could be here for ever!

[eschiss1]

The Skazki sometimes called Ballades and the Sonate-Ballade op.27 and Concerto-Ballade op.60 of Nicolai Medtner all seem rather good to me (far as I know them...)

there's several Ballades, instrumental and Ballads vocal, I've seen scanned in online that I thought were particularly promising. I've mentioned Reinecke-pupil Oscar Weil's (@LoC and IMSLP) (op.17 in G minor and perhaps inspired by Chopin's in the same key...), and I am curious too about those of Liszt's pupil William Mason...

[thalbergmad]

I have always had a soft spot for the Vianna da Motta Ballade ever since I first heard it on one of the Hyperion RPC releases.

My personal pianistic abilities are reasonably feeble, so I limit myself to the less difficult but melodic Ballads by Jaell, Heller, Wilm and Mayer and leave well alone the likes of Thalberg, Dohler, Bortz & Friedman.

Hats off to the chap who just recorded the Rangstrom as that is horridly difficult.

I expect the McBurney could be effective under the right fingers.

Thal