mUltimate Chopin

Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Authentic corrections of FE

b. 95-99

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Dots without slurs in A

Dots & slurs in FE (→GE,EE)
..

In A, Chopin applied the same articulation markings system concerning L.H. crotchets as in b. 9 and subsequent – slurs over dots are present only in cases where there are no crotchets in the R.H. part (it was a thought-out system – in b. 99 Chopin removed the L.H. slur, which he considered superfluous due to a slur being present in the R.H.). The slurs added – most probably by Chopin – in the stage of proofreading FE (→GE,EE) prove that the composer was striving for precise and homogenised articulation markings concerning the crotchets in the accompaniment.

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

issues: Chopin's hesitations , Deletions in A , Authentic corrections of FE

b. 95-100

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

No indications in A

m.g. in FE (→GE)

L.H. in EE
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In b. 95-96 and 99-100, the markings indicating that the bottom notes of the octaves should be performed by the left hand – m.g. = main gauche [left hand] – were added to FE (→GE) by Chopin. In EE, the French abbreviations were replaced with their English counterparts – L.H. = left hand.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Authentic corrections of FE

b. 98

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

in A

No marking in FE (→GE,EE)
..

It is difficult to say whether the  indication was omitted by FE (→GE,EE) due to a proofreading intervention, probably performed by Chopin, or whether we are dealing with an oversight by the engraver. Nevertheless, we acknowledge this change as probably having been accepted by the composer, who introduced a number of changes to this and the adjacent bars while proofreading FE1, including added performance markings – see notes to b. 95-99 and 99 and 103-105 as well.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Errors in FE , Authentic corrections of FE

b. 99

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

e1-a1-c2 in A

a1-c2 in FE (→GE,EE)
..

The bottom notes of the bottom voice crotchets, written down in A, were removed in the stage of proofreading FE (→GE,EE), certainly by Chopin. In an analogous situation in b. 199 Chopin had already crossed out the bottom notes of the chords in A, hence the change introduced while proofreading FE may be considered rectification of an oversight of the respective correction in the stage of writing A.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Accompaniment changes , Authentic corrections of FE , Omitted correction of an analogous place

b. 99-101

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

No marks in A

Staccato dots in FE (→GE,EE)

Dots & slurs suggested by the editors
..

From the middle of b. 99 on, Chopin stopped marking the articulation of the accompanying crotchets in A, which, however, most probably does not mean that they should be performed differently. In this situation, the staccato dots added in the stage of proofreading FE (→GE,EE) may be considered an indication to change the articulation from portato to staccato. According to us, however, proofreading was either simplified or inaccurately carried out, and the aim was to indicate that the performance should not change further on. Due to the above reason, in the main text we suggest adding slurs too.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: Authentic corrections of FE