Periodically, this page focuses on a work by Jean-Pierre Vial.
Ballade des Ayes
ISWC T-315.454.710.7 Ayes valley

A ballade for (Celtic or pedal) harp, composed in 2011. The French words Ballade (a dance) and Balade (a walk) sound identically. Les Ayes is a valley near Briançon, France, where locals enjoy going for a walk.

In the ballade, you may recognize a few measures borrowed from the national anthem of Germany or, as well, from the adagio of a string quartet (Opus 76, N° 3) by Joseph Haydn who composed this music. Joseph Haydn, in turn, supposedly borrowed this theme from a Croatian folk song. (On the contrary, no one can tell where this song borrowed its theme from...)

To listen to the ballade (an MP3 clip), click here.

The score of the ballade is published by Musicalion.

This score is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License – NonCommercial – ShareAlike 3.0 France. For any use of this work not covered by this license, you must obtain the permission from SACEM (www.sacem.fr/en).

In August 2015, saxophonists Kendra Emery and Colette Hall recorded a transcription (then renamed Minuetto) for two saxophones (tenor and baritone) of this ballade. To listen to this transcription, click here.

In July 2018, flutist Iwona Glinka recorded a transcription for two flutes of the ballade (Minuetto), in her “Two Minutes” album (UPC 660989085582) which includes 2 CD of short pieces, for two flutes, by various composers.

In June 2021, flutist Beth Ratay recorded a transcription for piccolo and alto flute of the ballade (Minuetto). To watch the corresponding video, click here.