Toward a Model of Performance Errors: A qualitative Review of Magaloff´s Chopin.

Musicians at all levels of proficiency must deal with performance errors and have to find strategies for avoiding them. Performance errors have been investigated before, but most studies focus on data gathered under laboratory conditions. We present a study conducted on a unique corpus of precisely measured performances: the complete works for solo piano by Chopin, performed on stage by the Russian pianist Nikita Magaloff, recorded on a Bösendorfer SE computer-controlled grand piano in a series of public recitals in Vienna in 1989. We classify groups of errors, analyze their context and the patterns they form, and discuss probable causes.