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Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

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Issues : FE revisions

b. 181-187

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

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In A, the flats lowering a1 to a1 in b. 181 and 184-187 and a to a in b. 183 and 186-187 are missing. These patent inaccuracies were already corrected by FE (→GE,EE).

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Omission of current key accidentals , FE revisions , Last key signature sign , Inaccuracies in A

b. 195-205

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

No L.H. slurs in A (→FE→GE,EE1→EE2)

L.H. slurs in EE3
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In the main text we add slurs to the staccato dots with which the pairs of L.H. crotchets are marked in these bars (Chopin wrote such slurs only in the 2nd halves of b. 196, 198 and 200). We provide an extensive justification of this decision in the note concerning b. 9-21. As was the case there, slurs were added here also by EE3 (except for the 2nd half of b. 199).
Isolated cases of adding slurs, probably resulting from the engravers' mistakes, are visible in GE1a in the 2nd half of b. 195, in GE (including in GE1a) in the 2nd half of b. 201 and in FE and all the remaining editions in b. 202. 

category imprint: Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: EE revisions , Errors in GE , GE revisions , Authentic corrections of FE , FE revisions

b. 207-208

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Slur to 6th crotchet in A

Slur to bar 208 in FE (→GE,EE)
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Leading the slur as far as to the next bar is a clear misrepresentation of the notation of A by the engraver of FE (→GE,EE), perhaps influenced by the R.H. slur, which does reach the g1-d2 fifth. In the main text we keep the notation of A, in which the slur is written down with a flourish, yet it does not suggest going beyond the bar line.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Embracing slurs , FE revisions

b. 220-221

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

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In A, there are no rests in the top voice. Chopin would often omit such rests in obvious situations; however, he was not always consistent – cf. b. 216 (without rests) and 218 (with a rest). Anyways, the two-part notation is marked by the direction of the stems. This notation was reproduced by FE, yet rests were added in b. 221, perhaps at Chopin's request. Therefore, in this situation b. 220 having been left without a rest must be considered an inadvertence, hence, to avoid doubts, we add a rest also in this bar in the main text. In GE and EE the absence of a rest prompted the engravers to make the stem of the c minim point upwards, which turned an inaccurate notation into a wrong notation.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Errors in EE , Errors in GE , GE revisions , Authentic corrections of FE , FE revisions

b. 228-229

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

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The chromatic notation of A is inaccurate in a peculiar way – Chopin overlooked the  to the bottom note of the 1st octave in b. 228 (B1) and the accidentals to the bottom notes of the sixths on the 4th quaver in both bars (a2 and f2, respectively). It is also noteworthy that there is a cautionary  to f2, but not a quaver earlier to f1. FE added only a  to B1.
GE and EE added the remaining necessary accidentals to the version of FE, while GE also added cautionary naturals to f1 and f3. The former was also added by EE2 (→EE3), which results in a version adopted to the main text.
See also the notes in the next bar.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Accidentals in different octaves , GE revisions , FE revisions , Last key signature sign , Inaccuracies in A , Errors repeated in FE