mUltimate Chopin

Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Inaccurate slurs in A

b. 14-15

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Slur to b. 15 in A, literal reading (→FE→GE,EE)

Slur to end of b. 14 in A, contextual interpretation
..

In A, the R.H. slur in the 2nd half of b. 14, when interpreted literally, ends at the beginning of b. 15, and this is how it was reproduced in FE (→GE,EE). According to us, however, it is merely an inaccuracy of Chopin's notation, since the composer would write the majority of the slurs in this Ballade with a flourish.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Inaccurate slurs in A

b. 32-33

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Slurs in A, literal reading

Slurs in A, contextual interpretation

Slurs in FE (→GE,EE)
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In A, the L.H. slurs, written with a flourish, clearly encompass the groups of five repeated chords. In FE (→GE,EE), they begin earlier, which resulted from the routine approach of the engraver of FE, who considered whole-bar slurs to be most likely. The fact that the actual notation of A was interpreted quite liberally is evidenced by the ending of the slur over b. 32, which, in spite of the fact that in A it reaches b. 33, ends on the last crotchet in b. 32 in FE (and rightly so in this case).

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Inaccuracies in FE , Inaccurate slurs in A , Embracing slurs

b. 33-34

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Slur to b. 34 in A, contextual interpretation

Slur in b. 33 in FE (→GE,EE)
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Bar 33 ends the first side of A, and the R.H. slur written in it clearly suggests a continuation. However, on the new page, in bar 34, there is no completion of this slur. In none of the first editions does the slur extend to bar 34, however, in FE it extends beyond the last note of bar 33, which appears to be an insignificant inaccuracy, even if the engraver's intention was to convey the ambiguous notation of A. In the main text we provide a version with a slur leading to c2 in bar 34, which we consider a contextual interpretation of A.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Inaccuracies in FE , Inaccurate slurs in A , EE inaccuracies , Uncertain slur continuation

b. 45-46

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Slurs in A

Slurs in FE (→GE)

Slurs in EE
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The first of the two R.H. slurs beginning in b. 46 is written in A with a flourish, as a result of which in FE (→GE,EE) it erroneously starts from the 1st crotchet in the bar. It prompted the reviser of EE to shorten the preceding slur, which encompasses only b. 45 in this edition.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Inaccuracies in FE , Inaccurate slurs in A

b. 47-48

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

Slur over 2nd half of bar in A (literal reading→FE→GE,EE)

Slur to b. 48 in A, contextual interpretation

Slur suggested by the editors
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According to us, the slur of A is doubly inaccurate:

  • in the authentic layout, Chopin was unable to encompass the 1st half of the bar with a slur, hence he used a practically equivalent, simplified notation;
  • The ending of the slur clearly suggests that it should be continued (at the end of the line of the text), yet there is no ending in the next bar, which is a frequent occurrence in Chopinesque manuscripts. The fact that the literal interpretation of this notation adopted in the editions is wrong is proven by the same situation in the R.H. part, in which, however, the unequivocal slur in analogous b. 45-46 allows us to settle the doubt in favour of a slur led to the beginning of b. 48.

In the main text, we suggest a reconstruction of Chopin's alleged intention based on the above conditions.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Interpretations within context; Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: Inaccurate slurs in A , Uncertain slur continuation