Ballade for piano solo.

Let me introduce my Ballad No. 3 (E flat major) for solo piano.
When I wrote this music, I wanted to make the composition as melodically expressive as possible. I also tried to make as clean chords as possible without harsh dissonances. I hope this Ballad will not look too old-fashioned. I just wrote the music I wanted to listen to. If someone liked it, I will be very happy.

Hi @Alexx,

I like this piece!! That modulation to A minor in b.18 is quite unexpected! The Eb minor in b.24 is good as well. I love how you use the same melodic gesture and change the harmony there to swing between Eb minor and G minor, two octatonic related keys.

B.32 it literally is a Doppio Movimento there. I love this section very much with more intensity both harmonically and contrapuntally. I really like everything between here and the return of the tonic key. The harmonic progression is mature yet very unexpected and varied, and the voice interaction is great! In b.163 I just feel like the tonic returns quite uneventfully and I hope there's a rhyme or reason for its return! Also the escaping minor nepolitan before the ending chord is quite off for me. But overall this is very enjoyable! 

15 hours ago, Alexx said:

I hope this Ballad will not look too old-fashioned

For sure this is not a problem. I always write old fashioned music and I think they are even more old-fashioned than yours! Thanks for sharing!

Henry

Thank you very much! I glad that you liked my Ballade. The melodic gesture before the last cord is really some unexpected and maybe strange. I wanted to make an expression like ellipsis at the end of a book. Ballade is a narration isn't it? 😃 So, my narration is not ended. 
However, maybe I'm mistaken and this solution of ending is not successful. 

This is a huge work and I like it. My main concern is the timbre of the piano. It has not "deep" support and it sounds very light.

The section from m. 32 is quite good .

Thank you, Luis! The Ballad is performed by computer, so timbre is not good. I have made this record only for acquaintance with this piece.

On 5/3/2023 at 6:44 PM, Alexx said:

I hope this Ballad will not look too old-fashioned.

I don't know man but  old-fashioned stuff is very welcome here anyway.
 

9 hours ago, Luis Hernández said:

My main concern is the timbre of the piano. It has not "deep" support and it sounds very light.

I agree. All these harmonic progressions could be most enjoyable with a better soundfont.

The score is very detailed, and I did enjoy it a lot. Perhaps some crescendos here and there would have benefited some passages (e.g M184-M192). I have mixed feelings with the ending...

On 5/5/2023 at 6:57 PM, Alexx said:

However, maybe I'm mistaken and this solution of ending is not successful.

Depends. If you really wanted a non-solving ending I would say you almost nailed it, and it is indeed surprising for the first time but it might be not satisfactory for the listener. It eventually depends on you, perhaps you just need a companion piece for this ballad to be played next. Whatever you choose, make sure that it convinces yourself.

Looking forward to check your next work. Liked and subscribed, of course!

Kind regards,
Daniel–Ømicrón.

 

Thank you, Daniel!

Yes, the end of this composition is convincing for me. However, it is very difficult for any author to separate what he wanted to say and what he actually said. In this Ballad, this little four-note motif is very important both in the musical structure and in the figurative content. It brings the main contrast. It stimulates all musical development. He is like an antihero in this story. His return at the end seems very justified to me. Maybe I'm wrong.