Rachmaninoff scores and errata: Context

[mrcreosote]

In particular Etude-Tableau No. 6

There will be a group of repetitive patterns that are returned to.

Except that a single note will be different - and the difference is in 2 places is the omission of an accidental in the latter.  If I were a betting man, it would be "obvious" to any concert pianist and played properly - no one reads or mispronounces a typo in text - the context is the determining factor.  It is also unreasonable to expect all published music is errata free - but then when was the last time someone found a mistake in a Bible?  But in my defense, there is a lot of music out there and very limited number of people that would perceive an errata.  What would it take to conclude errata in anything from Ligeti?

Either

• it is a mistake of omission obviously recognized in the conservatories
• the difference is irrelevant and not worth mentioning
• the difference is intended which means it must be "heard" when played

A lot of Rach is chromatic which I think implies a certain level of pattern "integrity."

I have heard comments that in the conservatories, there are "in the know" "proper" ways to play certain notes/passages even though scored differently. 

[iansinclair]

I wouldn't absolutely count on it being an error.  The only reasonably certain way to know would be to listen to the man himself playing it, and I don't think there is a Rachmaninoff recording of it (there are a surprising number of them, though... so it may be out there somewhere!).

I'd try it both ways, and see if maybe, just maybe, he was trying to say something...

[dogperson]

Rach recording of Op 39 No  6

[iansinclair]

Bravo!  Thanks for finding that.  I will have to get up to speed on YouTube... and the rest of the 'net.  We elderly types sometimes have a little difficulty with that .

[dogperson]

Bravo!  Thanks for finding that.  I will have to get up to speed on YouTube... and the rest of the 'net.  We elderly types sometimes have a little difficulty with that .

LOL- you are speaking to someone who is older than dirt.  Weirdly, on a search, Rach showed up way down on the video list ....after the multitude of amateurs that have performed this! Go figure