mUltimate Chopin

Op. 38, Ballade in F major

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Inaccuracies in A

b. 70

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

..

In A (→GC,FE1) there are no accidentals before the 4th chord. The overlooked  lowering a2 to a2 was also added in all remaining sources, while in FE2 (→FE3) a cautionary  before a3 was added as well. Both signs added in FE2 probably result from Chopin's proofreading. 

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Accidentals in different octaves , GE revisions , Cautionary accidentals , Omission of current key accidentals , Authentic corrections of FE , Inaccuracies in A

b. 72-78

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

f in A (→FE,GC→GE)

f in EE
..

In A (→FE,GC→GE1) there is not any  lowering e to e. In EE the signs were added, yet at the same time the flats lowering f to f on the last semiquaver were omitted (except for bar 75, in which both last semiquavers are provided with flats). The reviser of EE might have concluded that Chopin wrote the flats in A one note too far by mistake (they may have regarded the E-F passage occuring in the first half of each bar as a confirmation that they were right). The flats lowering e to e were also added in GE2 (→GE3).

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals , Inaccuracies in A

b. 92

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

..

In A (→GC,EE) the middle note a1 on the 2nd beat of the R.H. is assigned to the middle voice. Recognising such division into voices, the revisers of FE and GE shortened the value of this note by deleting the extending dot. No repetition of a1 on the last quaver (cf. bar 94) indicates rather the necessity to sustain this note to the end of the bar, in accordance with the notation of A. Therefore, in the main text we correct the illogical in this situation division into voices, following similar bars 38 and 40. At the time of writing this chord, Chopin could have thought about bar 94, which could have caused the mistake.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: GE revisions , FE revisions , Inaccuracies in A

b. 126

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

Dotted crotchet in FE, EE & GE
..

In A (→GC), the lack of the dot extending the first crotchet of the R.H. lower voice is almost certainly an oversight by Chopin. The dot was added in all editions.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Inaccuracies in A

b. 140

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

Staccato dots in A (→EE,GC→GE)

Wedges in FE
..

Two staccato marks written in A seem to be dots despite being bigger than usual – possibly Chopin emboldened them to make them better visible. FE read them as wedges.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Wedges , Inaccuracies in A