" Which means
that Chopin was not such a realist as Beethoven? Ehlert is one of
the few sympathetic German Chopin commentators, yet he did not
always indicate the salient outlines of his art. Only the Slav
may hope to understand Chopin thoroughly. But these Ballades are
more truly touched by the universal than any other of his works.
They belong as much to the world as to Poland.
The G minor Ballade after "Konrad Wallenrod," is a logical, well
knit and largely planned composition. The closest parallelism may
be detected in its composition of themes. Its second theme in E
flat is lovely in line, color and sentiment. The return of the
first theme in A minor and the quick answer in E of the second
are evidences of Chopin's feeling for organic unity. Development,
as in strict cyclic forms, there is not a little. After the
cadenza, built on a figure of wavering tonality, a valse-like
theme emerges and enjoys a capricious, butterfly existence. It is
fascinating. Passage work of an etherealized character leads to
the second subject, now augmented and treated with a broad brush.
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