mUltimate Chopin

Op. 38, Ballade in F major

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : GE revisions

b. 129-130

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

Crotchet c tied in A (→FE,GC→GE)

c repeated in bar 130 in EE
..

The version of EE may be an ordinary oversight of the dot and the tie prolonging the c crotchet, although a revision cannot be excluded, e.g. omission of the tie due to the missing dot. GC (→GE) is also lacking the dot, which is a patent mistake in the face of the tie.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Errors in EE , GE revisions , Errors of GC , Errors repeated in GE

b. 130-131

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

Minim c tied in A (→FE,GC→GE)

c repeated in bar 131 in EE
..

The EE version results most probably from an oversight of the tie extending the minim c. GC (→GE1) overlooked the dot extending this note what was corrected in GE2 (→GE3).

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Errors in EE , GE revisions , Errors of GC , Errors repeated in GE

b. 132-133

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

Fragment of slur in A (→GC)

Slurs in FE

Slurs in EE

No slurs in GE
..

In both A (→GC) and EE, starting a new line resulted in inattention and leaving unfinished fragments of slurs (in A in bar 131, in EE in bar 132). FE completed the slurs in keeping with the analogous bars 125-127 and the R.H. slurs. This might have been done by the reviser or even the engraver. We give this undoubtedly right version in the main text. However, GE not only left bars 132-133 without slurs but omitted the second one in bar 131.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Editorial revisions; Source & stylistic information

issues: EE revisions , Inaccurate slurs in A , GE revisions , Uncertain slur continuation

b. 134

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

..

In the 1st R.H. chord, GE1 did not include the cautionary naturals next to a1 and a2 written in A (→EE,GC). The naturals were added in GE2 (→GE3). FE omitted only the bottom .

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Inaccuracies in GE , Inaccuracies in FE , GE revisions , Cautionary accidentals

b. 135

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

f2-f3 in A, FE1 & GC (contextual interpretation) and FE2 (→FE3) & GE

f2-f3 in EE
..

In A, the third and fourth chords in the R.H. contain patent mistakes: there is no accidental before the third one, which results in a f2 simultaneously with f3, whereas before the fourth one Chopin wrote a  before the lowest note and a  lowering e3 to e3, which also results in a f2 simultaneously with f3. The sharp before the 4th chord, unnecessary in the current configuration, confirms the assumption resulting from a comparison with analogous bar 110 that Chopin meant f2-f3 in the third chord and f2-f3 in the fourth one. This version, without errors, is present in FE2 (→FE3), corrected by Chopin. In all sources based directly on A, the following inauthentic corrections were performed:

  • in GC, the copyist added a necessary  before the topmost note of the 4th chord (f3) while omitting the  before e3. In GE, the text was revised to the correct version of FE2;
  • in FE1, the  before the lowest note of the 4th chord was omitted, which, however, did not influence the correctness of the notation, which still contained two mistakes;
  • in EE, a  was added before the top note of the 3rd chord, which resulted in a harmonically reasonable version, yet certainly inauthentic in the face of the Chopinesque proofreading of FE2.  

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: EE revisions , Omissions to cancel alteration , GE revisions , Errors of A , Authentic corrections of FE , Errors repeated in FE