mUltimate Chopin

Op. 38, Ballade in F major

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : FE revisions

b. 101

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

..

In A (→GC,FE1→FE2) there is no  lowering a to a in the L.H. The undoubted oversight by Chopin was corrected in EE, GE and FE3.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Errors of A , FE revisions , Errors repeated in FE

b. 106

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

..

Due to an oversight, in FE1 there is no upper part of the L.H. in the 2nd half of bar 106. The part was completed in FE2, yet without the  lowering e1 to e1, which was added only in FE3.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

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

b. 111-112

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

Tied octave in A (→FE1,EE,GC→GE) & FE3

Repeated octave in FE2
..

The B1-B octave, sustained at the transition between bars 111 and 112, is probably the original version of this place, changed in a proofreading of FE2, probably by Chopin. Playing the octave at the beginning of bar 112 could have aimed at, e.g., achieving rhythmic similarity with analogous bars 136-137. The slurs were then returned in FE3, the authenticity of this change is however not as likely as in the previous case, as a lot points to a significant, if not the exclusive, participation of the reviser in a proofreading of FE3. Hence we give the version of FE2, probably corrected by Chopin, as the main one. 

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Authentic corrections of FE , FE revisions

b. 112

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

Slur from 2nd octave in A (→FE,EE)

Slur from first octave in GC (→GE)
..

It is not obvious which version of the slur corresponds to Chopin's intention. The earlier beginning of slur In GC (→GE) results from copyist's negligence, but it is precisely such slur that seems more appropriate when the B1-B octave at the beginning of bar is repeated, as in the main text – cf. whole-bar slurs in the following bars. While removing the ties sustaining the B1-B octave, Chopin could have paid no heed to the slur. Therefore, in the main text we give a slur encompassing the entire bar.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , FE revisions

b. 119-120

composition: Op. 38, Ballade in F major

Beginning of slur in A (→GC,EE)

Beginning of slur in FE

Beginning of slur in GE
..

Nothing indicates that the delayed start of slur In FE and GE could be authentic. The engravers or revisers possibly tried to avoid beginning a slur on a tied note. In case of GE, the inauthentic slur could have resulted from the inaccurate notation of GC wherein bar 120 starts a new line with a slur running from the first note, therefore as in GE. However, this does not justify omitting the clearly written opening fragment of the slur in bar 119.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: GE revisions , FE revisions