mUltimate Chopin

Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Long accents

b. 46

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Long accents in A

Short accents in FE (→GE,EE)
..

It was typical of the first editions to shorten Chopinesque long accents (which is, of course, inaccurate).

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Long accents , Inaccuracies in FE

b. 48-51

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Short & 3 long accents in A, literal reading

4 long accents in A, contextual interpretation

4 short accents in FE (→GE,EE)
..

Three out of four L.H. accents in the middle of each of these bars must be long accents – it is only the one in b. 48 that may be questionable. Upon seeing a mark that he could easily identify as a common short accent, the engraver of FE (→GE,EE) provided all four marks with such a form.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Long accents , Inaccuracies in FE , Inaccuracies in A

b. 58-63

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Long accents on 1st note in A (→FE→EE)

Accents/diminuendos in GE
..

FE (→EE) quite accurately reproduced the four undoubtedly long accents in b. 58-59 and 62-63 – the marks intersect the stem of the 1st note in each of these bars, which suggests their accentuating nature and the fact that they are related to the given note. By contrast, GE moved the marks, which makes them concern the 2nd note in the bar.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Long accents , Inaccuracies in GE

b. 102-104

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

2  & 4  in A

3  in FE (→GE,EE)
..

Out of the six  and  marks present in A, the editions reproduced only three, two of them in b. 103 inaccurately – in A, the marks in b. 102 are clearly longer than in the next ones. In our transcription, we convey it by interpreting the marks in b. 103-104 as long accents, since in spite of their significant size, they concern only the g1-g2 minims (in b. 102 they reach as far as the f1-f2 minims). Anyways, all these markings dynamically and expressively emphasise the g1-g2 minims; it is possible to vary the manner in which it will be achieved, which we, however, leave to the discretion of the performer.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Long accents , Errors in FE , Inaccuracies in FE

b. 113

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Long accent in A, contextual interpretation

Short accent in FE (→GE,EE)
..

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Long accents