mUltimate Chopin

Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Corrections in A

b. 41-42

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

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As in b. 40, in each half of the bar, Chopin changed the structure of voices in the L.H. part – the initial version of notation repeated the versions of b. 37-38.

category imprint: Corrections & alterations; Source & stylistic information

issues: Corrections in A , Deletions in A , Accompaniment changes

b. 45-47

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

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At the beginning of b. 45 and 47, one can see deletions and corrections in the L.H. part in A. On the basis thereof, we can read the initial version of b. 45: . The change of the bass note from g to f is also visible in b. 47; however, there was no change to the rhythm there – the a1 minim was a syncopation from the very beginning. One can ponder why Chopin forwent rhythmic variants in these bars – according to us, the reason could have been the need to accentuate the 2nd crotchet in the bar in b. 45 as well to keep the rhythm cohesive with the previous bars.

category imprint: Corrections & alterations; Source & stylistic information

issues: Corrections in A , Deletions in A

b. 54

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

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The deletion visible in A allows us to decipher the initial version of this crotchet, i.e. probably C-G.

category imprint: Corrections & alterations; Source & stylistic information

issues: Corrections in A , Deletions in A , Accompaniment changes

b. 56-60

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

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In b. 56 in A, one can see a deleted d2 quaver, written initially at the end of the 1st half of the bar, perhaps by mistake – cf. b. 58. However, an identical correction 4 bars later, in b. 60, suggests another possibility – d2 could have been an element of the initial version of these passages.

category imprint: Corrections & alterations; Source & stylistic information

issues: Corrections in A , Deletions in A

b. 63

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

d2 in A & FE2, GE & EE

b1 in FE1
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The b1 note in FE1 must be a mistake of the engraver, corrected in FE2 (probably by Chopin). The correct version in GE and EE may mean that it was also the bases for these editions that included Chopinesque corrections; however, it is uncertain, since such a mistake could have been detected by the reviser thanks to the very regular structure of the passages of this section.

In A, one can see another deleted note between the f1 and d2 quavers, most probably b1. The gaps between the notes in the entire group suggest that it was not replaced by d2, but removed from the initial version of the passage, which probably did not include the 2nd quaver, d1: .

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations; Source & stylistic information

issues: EE revisions , Errors in FE , Corrections in A , Terzverschreibung error , GE revisions , Deletions in A , Authentic corrections of FE , Main-line changes