Many of Liszt's compositions depict angels and demons, or heaven and hell, within a single piece, appearing alternately. This Ballade also features such a typical contrast of extremes. Furthermore, many of Liszt's works are constructed from only two or three thematic ideas (or "materials"), which undergo continuous transformation. It is crucial to understand which material is present in each section and to recognize and perform the melodic line, shaped when playing the original material, as "one of the materials."

Let's Look at an Example

From measure 3 to measure 17, the melodic line is written in the treble clef in the upper staff, in the highest voice. The stems point upwards. The lines with downward-pointing stems are not the melody; therefore, these two lines should be clearly separated without confusion. The final note of this material is the dotted quarter note B in measure 17. This line ascends from C-sharp in measure 13 through D, E, F-sharp, G, A, and ends on B; therefore, it must align with the G and A preceding the B. Although "rinforz" is written in measure 17, making it tempting to play this B too loudly, please crescendo in accordance with the volume coming from A.

For instance, such "alignment" is crucial when handling each thematic material. Melodic lines written with large note values, spanning many measures, and extending broadly and lengthily, like the main theme of this piece, make melodic shaping difficult. In such cases, try extracting only the melodic line as a monophony and playing it at a fast tempo. Doing so will make handling the melodic line much easier. Remember the shaping (※) achieved when playing at that fast tempo. Then, apply it to the same material wherever it appears. From measure 24, the melody becomes sweet, reminiscent of angels, but the B-sharp on the first beat of measure 26 is a non-harmonic tone. Non-harmonic tones usually resolve to a harmonic tone, which in this case is the following eighth note C-sharp. Therefore, be careful not to accent the C-sharp or play it at the same volume as the B-sharp, and let it fade away.

Now, a material that performers often overlook begins in measure 113. This line is exactly the same as the line beginning in measure 3. The melodic line is written in half notes in the treble clef in the upper staff. Do not miss that it moves to the bass clef in the lower staff in measure 118. And although measure 119 is a chord, it corresponds to measure 9, and despite a different ending, the melodic line from measures 119-122 (G-sharp, A, B, C-sharp, E, D) clearly matches perfectly with measures 13-17 (C-sharp, D, E, F-sharp, A, G). Therefore, even in this section where many "ff" markings appear, do not forget the original shaping (measures 3-17) and execute it with the shaping you perceive from measures 3-17.

※Shaping: Varying the volume according to the pitch and rhythm of a melody to create a smooth line.