mUltimate Chopin

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Main-line changes

b. 120

composition: Op. 44, Polonaise in F♯ minor

F-f in GE

D-d in FE (→EE)
..

As was the case with b. 96, in the main text we give the version corrected by Chopin in FE (→EE).

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Authentic corrections of FE , Main-line changes

b. 120-121

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

..

The deletions visible in A in these bars and empty space after the most probably erased g1 note under the a2 quaver in b. 121, which was initially most probably a g2 (it did not have a ledger line that would cross it), reveal that initially the 2nd half of b. 120 and the 1st half of b. 121 were analogous to b. 118-119: . The missing mordent in this version allows us to imagine two scenarios of the changes:

  • the idea to diversify b. 120-121 with respect to b. 118-119 came to Chopin when he was just about to write a mordent in the initial version of b. 121;
  • initially, there were no mordents in both places; it was only the melodically developed version of b. 120-121 that prompted Chopin to add an ornament 2 bars earlier.

category imprint: Corrections & alterations; Source & stylistic information

issues: Corrections in A , Deletions in A , Main-line changes

b. 122

composition: Op. 22, Polonaise

Dotted rhythm in FE (→GE)

Quavers in EE
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Two quavers in EE is the initial version, most probably authentic. In FE one can see that the dotted rhythm was introduced only just at the stage of proofreading.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Authentic corrections of FE , Main-line changes , Dotted or even rhythm

b. 126

composition: Op. 2, Variations, complete

Quaver a2 in AsI

Quaver a2 after AsI

Semiquaver a2 in A (→GE→FE,EE,FESB)
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The separated a2 quaver leads to b2 in the next bar, thus creating a complete melodic sequence in the R.H. part (e4-a2-b2), alternative with respect to the line using the L.H. f4 (e4-f4-b2). Eventually, Chopin simplified the notation; perhaps he did not want to divert attention from the main line.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Main-line changes

b. 130

composition: Op. 22, Polonaise

b1 in FE (→GE) & EE2

a1 in EE1
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EE1 features the initial version of the 6th semiquaver, changed in the penultimate stage of proofreading of FE (→GE). The changes of the correction performed on the plate are clearly visible in FE. In addition, the changed note (b1) was provided with a cautionary , which we omit in the main text, since it is superfluous in this context. The accidental was also removed in GE; it is also absent in EE2, in which the corrected note was introduced probably on the basis of GE1.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: EE revisions , GE revisions , Cautionary accidentals , Authentic corrections of FE , Main-line changes