Ballad in Yellow is a transcription of a song I wrote to a Garcia Lorca poem. The pianist-composer Robert Helps, upon hearing the premiere of the song, said to me, "I wish, David, that that song was a piano solo. I'd love to play it" The moment he said this, I realized that a piano arrangement would require little alteration: I simply removed the vocal line and added a more pianistic ending. Needless to say, the piece is dedicated to Robert Helps, who played the premiere.
— David Del Tredici
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