mUltimate Chopin

Op. 38, Ballade in F major

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : GE revisions

b. 184

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

Two-note slur in A (→GC)

No slur in FE, EE & GE
..

In the editors' opinion, the slur in A is a remnant of the original version, as in bar 180. In the discussed bar the longer slur added by Chopin in GC may even be regarded as joining the short one, which confirms our conviction that the long slur was meant by Chopin to replace the short one. It was reproduced that way in GE. The slur from A was overlooked in both FE and EE.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: GE revisions

b. 185

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

b1 (no accidental) in A (→GC,FE,EE) & GE3

b1 (with ) in FEJ

b1 in GE1 (→GE2)
..

In the main text we add a cautionary  next to b1 in the R.H. An identical pencilled addition, probably performed by Chopin's hand, can be seen in FEJ. The GE1 (→GE2) version must be an erroneous revision, one of a few in bars 185-186: see the note at the beginning and in the middle of the next bar. In GE3, the  lowering b1 to b1 was deleted.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: Annotations in teaching copies , GE revisions , Cautionary accidentals , Annotations in FEJ

b. 185-186

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

Slurs from 3rd semiquaver in A (→GC,FE,EE)

Slurs from first semiquaver in GE
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The earlier beginning of slurs, so as they encompass whole bars, exemplifies a common revision of GE.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: GE revisions

b. 186

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

b & b1 in A (→GC,FE,EE)

b & b1 in GE1

b & b1 in GE2 (→GE3)
..

Before the first semiquaver GE added a lowering b to b, and GE2 (→GE3) also shifted the  lowering b1 to b1 from before the 5th semiquaver to before the 3rd one. These arbitrary changes continue the harmonic revisions initiated by the addition of a  lowering b1 to b1 in the middle of the previous bar.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: GE revisions

b. 186

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

c2 in A (→GC,FE,EE)

c2 in GE1 (→GE2)
..

A  lowering c2 to c2, added in GE1 (→GE2) in the middle of bar, presents the last of the arbitrary revisions resulting from complete misunderstanding of Chopin's sequence in bars 185-186. The accidental was removed in GE3.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: GE revisions