Chopin's Ballade No. 3 in A-flat major, Op. 47 (composed 1840–41) is the most lyrical and elegant of his four ballades, characterized by its graceful opening theme, intricate ornamentation, and dramatic development section. Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849), the Polish-French Romantic composer, wrote his four ballades as landmark works of the piano repertoire, blending poetic narrative with virtuosic technique.