Small, downward-pointing diagonal line in Chopin's Ballade in G Minor

Question

The small diagonal line shown above comes from Chopin's Ballade #1 in G minor, measure 170. What does the small diagonal line between the two notes mean?

Related question: [What does this split stem notation mean?](https://music.stackexchange.com/q/24030/70803). — Aaron, Aug 09 '21 at 06:41

score 7 · Accepted Answer · edited Aug 09 '21 at 04:08

7

It is a "chord" consisting of both B flat and B natural.

The 19th-century notation for this was just two notes on the same stem, with two accidentals (flat and natural) in front of them. In the 20th century some composers started using two separate notes joined by a "forked" stem. The OP's graphic looks like a poor attempt to reproduce this with an (unknown) notation software application that can't do it right - or the user didn't know any better.

Klindworth's edition (1880): (note the horrible 5:3 tuplet notation with the tiny slur over the 5!)

Breitkopf und Härtel (1878) has staccato dots over the notes, which somebody may have mistaken for the slanting line:

More modern notations:

edited Aug 09 '21 at 04:08

Aaron

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answered Nov 01 '17 at 12:41

Nice detective work. Given that the original slant bar doesn't even show up in Dolmetsch's list, this looks like a good interpretation. – Carl Witthoft Nov 01 '17 at 15:05
Sorry for the late reply and thanks for the answer. And yes, it is Chopin's Ballade. – soap Nov 02 '17 at 01:03

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 09 '21 at 04:24

The B natural and B flat should be played together as a chord.

The notation in the OP is an attempt to reproduce the one used in the 1894 Mikuli edition of the Ballade.

The more modern notation mentioned by user19146 is used, for example, in the Dover/Paderewski edition (1981).

score -2 · Answer 3 · answered Nov 01 '17 at 09:47

-2

Looks like a slide. You can't do that on a piano, but you can emulate smearing from B natural to B flat (which I presume this notation is supposed to suggest) by striking both right after another and releasing the B natural after striking the B flat and then release the B flat "regularly" on time.

Probably intended to render a "blue note".

answered Nov 01 '17 at 09:47

Normally the first note will be written as a grace note, smaller than the ordinary dot. – Tim Nov 01 '17 at 10:49
-1. This is Chopin, not 20th century notation! – Nov 01 '17 at 12:20
@alephzero you sure about that? I don't see that note pair in an IMSLP copy. – Carl Witthoft Nov 01 '17 at 12:28
I don't see a match in the Grieg either... – Carl Witthoft Nov 01 '17 at 12:33
@CarlWitthoft See my answer, when I've finished writing it! – Nov 01 '17 at 12:34
.... or Brahms... – Carl Witthoft Nov 01 '17 at 12:37
@Tim not if it really is the Chopin ballade - it's not a grace note. – Nov 01 '17 at 12:55

Small, downward-pointing diagonal line in Chopin's Ballade in G Minor

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