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Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

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Slurs

b. 186-187

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Shorter slurs in sources

Longer slurs, our alternative suggestion
..

In the main text, we give the slurs of the sources; however, taking into account the fact that the slurs in analogous b. 182-184 were possibly proofread, we suggest prolonging the slurs respectively here as well. Chopin could have assumed that the slurs given the first time would be enough to indicate the correct performance; on the other hand, one cannot exclude carelessness of the engraver, who could have implemented only the half of the marked corrections.

category imprint: Editorial revisions

issues: Omitted correction of an analogous place

b. 188

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

No slur in sources

Slur to g1, our alternative suggestion
..

Justification of our alternative suggestion – see b. 186-187.

category imprint: Editorial revisions

b. 194-195

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Slur to a1 in A & EE

No slur in FE

Slur to g1 in GE
..

The analysis of the corrections of slurs in similar motifs that are visible in A – in b. 8-19, 100-101 and perhaps 198-199, one can see that the slurs were being prolonged so that they reached the minim ending the motif – leads to the conclusion that the slur in the discussed bars is the initial version of slurring of this figure, left by inadvertence. Therefore, in the main text we give a longer slur, compliant with the final slurring concept.
The absence of the slur in FE must be an oversight by the engraver, which was amended – most probably on the basis of a comparison with analogous figures – both by GE and EE. The reviser of GE probably took into account previous similar places too, whereas his English colleague looked only at the nearest figure, in b. 196.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Errors in FE , GE revisions , Omitted correction of an analogous place

b. 195

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Slur & dots in A & EE

No markings in FE (→GE)
..

The missing slur and dots in FE (→GE) must be an oversight by the engraver; he also overlooked a slur in the previous bar. The markings were added by EE.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Errors in FE

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
..

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