these could hardly be called 'songs.' they are stories from beginning to end. unfortunately, i think they are very telling. to me, the second is hauntingly beautiful. dedicated to robert schumann, it reminds me of the contrast between the two composers. occasionally schumann would write something rather scathing about chopin or liszt, but liszt and chopin took it rather lightheartedly and actually engaged schumann. chopin took it so far as to show schumann (by dedicating this ballade to him) that he was the one that had music by the neck. chopin was merely trying to 'hang on' despite severe circumstances in his life - and that schumann had nothing to be jealous of (since the deepest forms of music come from great sorrow). now this isn't to say that schumann didn't have some great sorrows, just that he didn't live through what chopin did.
i hear in the beginning strains, the happy town that schumann lived in, and then it focuses in on schumann's happy family, children, wife - all the things that schumann might have been taking forgranted at the time he was criticising (or writing reviews). then, all of a sudden, a whirlwind of a bit of chopin's memory of his family. unfortunately, for him, they were pretty much wiped out by the various russian? assaults on his hometown. the fury of the devastation of his town is left in the contemplation of a lake. it looks serene and placid, but underneath probably holds the truth of what happened. (just like bosnia, croatia, and places like that). these people cannot begin to tell, and chopin probably only could through music, the horrors that happened to people they knew and even their own family.
also, chopin had less ability to put this all in writing, as he was actually trying to forget it all, but couldn't (like a recurring nightmare). it put his health, and mental stability at risk to write about it, so he stored it in subconcious along with his musical compositions letting it all out. you can hear the storm pass - in the ballade, as something that was just that - a storm of fury, and then placid happiness of others at the same time (just as the sun rises again) that know nothing of your own sorrow. chopin has to go on, and he does (as he's moved to paris and decides to go on).
i used to dislike chopin as i thought he merely was weak and too in touch with his feelings, but now i see he was just trying to let them out. he also had a very good attitude toward other composers despite how they spoke of him. the fact he included schumann in this dedication means to me, he was quite forgiving and actually took the time to 'speak' to schumann about his own life and i'm sure it quieted schumann down to think about it.
Poll
Topic: Chopin's Ballades