mUltimate Chopin

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Issues : Chopin's hesitations

b. 21

composition: Op. 25 No 1, Etude in A♭ major

a1 in AI & GE1a (→GE2→GE3)

f1 in A (→CDP,GE1), FE & EE
..

Chopin changed the lowest note of the 3rd sextuplet in the R.H. twice:

  • AI has an a1, which in A was deleted and changed to f1. The change was somehow forced by the modification of the part of the L.H., in which Chopin renounced the f note. It is also GE1, EE (with a preserved G in the bass) and FE, which has F as the bass note, that have the changed version.
  • While proofreading GE1a (→GE2→GE3), Chopin changed this note again, this time reinstating a1. This version also seems to be related to the modification of the part of the L.H., in which it was the F note that became the bass one. We give this version in the main text, as it is the latest. However, Chopin was not consistent, as in FE – in spite of the change in the bass – he left a f1.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Chopin's hesitations , Authentic corrections of GE

b. 21-23

composition: Op. 64 No 1, Waltz in D♭ major

L.H. minims in As, AI, AII & AIII

Crotchets in A (→FE→GE1op,GE1Db,EE)

Crotchets &  e1 in GE2op (→#GE3op) & EEW1 (→EEW2)
..

Already in As, Chopin wrote two versions of accompaniment in these bars and in bar 24, however, it is not clear how he planned to use them. Eventually, in all later sources they were used to diversify the repeating figures through differentiation of the part of the L.H. in bars 21-24 and 29-32. The presentation autographs and the published version differ, however, in the order of appearance of both versions – apart from minor details, AI, AII and AIII first include the "tenor" version, which in A (→FE→GE,EE) appears only as the second.
In order to preserve the continuity of the bass line after a possible version change, in the context of this note, one has to choose one of the corresponding variants in bars bar 20 and bar 24.

In the main text we add a cautionary  before e1 in bar 21, after the authentic sign before g1 in bar 23.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Chopin's hesitations , Accompaniment changes

b. 21-24

composition: Op. 64 No 1, Waltz in D♭ major

..

In the version with the bass line, led with minims in the tenor register, Chopin wrote rests for the top voice of the L.H. (over the minims) only in one of the autographs – AII.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Chopin's hesitations

b. 21-23

composition: Op. 64 No 1, Waltz in D♭ major

..

Chopin did not pay special attention to cautionary flats before the e1 and g1 notes in bars 21 and 23. The first was written only in AIII, it was also added in GE2op (→#GE3op) and EEW1 (→EEW2). The second is present in the majority of the sources – it was overlooked only in AII and GE2Db (→GE3Db→GE4Db).

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: EE revisions , Chopin's hesitations , Errors in GE , GE revisions , Cautionary accidentals

b. 21

composition: Op. 28 No. 2, Prelude in A minor

e & B in As

E & B1 in A (→FC→GE, →FE→EE) & CGS
..

The crossings-out visible in As reveal that the bottom voices of the chords in the 2nd half of the bar were changed twice. The initial version, which was crossed out, continued the previous harmonic filling of b. 19-21 (see the note in b. 19):
. Having forgone the accompaniment in the preceding bars, Chopin also crossed out the bottom notes of the crotchet chords, which resulted in a precise gradation of the number of voices: from one in b. 20, through two in the 1st half of b. 21, three and four in the 2nd half, to five and six in b. 22. In the final version, that effect was abandoned in favour of a bass line referring to the quaver figures in b. 18-19, like they refer – also preceded by a rest – to b. 15-16.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Chopin's hesitations , Accompaniment changes