- Ballade in a minor was written in 1898, early in Coleridge-Taylor’s career and shortly after he finished his studies at the Royal College of Music.1
- The piece was commissioned for the 1898 Three Choirs Festival upon the recommendation of Sir Edward Elgar, who noted: “[Coleridge-Taylor] is far and away the cleverest fellow going amongst the young men.”
- The orchestral piece reveals an emerging distinctive musical voice while still paying homage to the Romantic-era icons Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and Dvorák.2
Sources
- Stephen Banfield and Jeremy Dibble, “Coleridge-Taylor, Samuel,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed November 15, 2022, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000006083.
- Nancy Bradburd, “Ballade in A minor, Op. 33,” Alfred Music, accessed November 15, 2022, https://www.alfred.com/ballade-in-a-minor-op-33/p/36-A890302/.
Cut IDs
21417