Ballade No. 1 in D flat major, S.170, is a solo piano piece by the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...

. In the original edition it contained the title "Le Croisse" or "The Crusader".

Form and Structure

The piece contains two themes with a short introductory passage. The main theme is reiterated 7 times with different technical obstructions each time. The second theme is placed in the after the fifth iteration. It is a march like theme (marked Tempo di Marcia). It repeats itself only twice before returning into the main theme, though it returns with a modest coda

Coda (music)

Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...

at the close of the piece.