mUltimate Chopin

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Errors resulting from corrections

b. 43

composition: Op. 28 No. 17, Prelude in A♭ major

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In A one can see that Chopin initially wrote the mordent with a conventional  mark. In the grace notes added instead of , the  before c2 merged with the arpeggio sign, resulting in a mark resembling a . Consequently, in FE (→EE1) the 2nd grace note is c2. Chopin reacted to this mistake in FES by adding a  in pencil (which Miss Stirling later wrote in ink). The correct text is also to be seen in EE2, probably on the basis of GE1.

In this place, FCI includes an earlier version – there are no ornaments on the 4th quaver in the bar, while b1 is linked with a tie to the dotted crotchet at the beginning of the bar.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations; Source & stylistic information

issues: Annotations in teaching copies , EE revisions , Errors in FE , Corrections in A , Errors resulting from corrections , Deletions in A , Annotations in FES , Main-line changes , Inaccuracies in A

b. 43

composition: Op. 28 No. 17, Prelude in A♭ major

Arpeggio sign in A & FED

No sign in FC (→GE) & FE (→EE)
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In A the arpeggio sign merged with the  before the second grace note (see the note on grace notes above), hence it was omitted both in FC (→GE) and FE (→EE). In FED Chopin added a diagonal slur to mark arpeggio.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Annotations in teaching copies , Errors in FE , Annotations in FED , Errors resulting from corrections , Errors of FC

b. 44

composition: Op. 10 No 8, Etude in F major

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Initially, the 1st group of semiquavers in A was . Chopin deleted it and wrote the final version below. It seems that he did not check the influence of the change on the notation of the subsequent part of the bar – there is no  before the 3rd note in the 2nd group of semiquavers, while in the 3rd group there remains a  before g, which is however justified also as a cautionary accidental, yet it was written probably due to g in the original version.

category imprint: Corrections & alterations

issues: Corrections in A , Errors resulting from corrections , Cautionary accidentals

b. 44

composition: WN 37, Lento con gran espressione

Crotchet, 2 quavers & triplets in A1

Triplets in CJ, contextual interpretation

Triplets in CK

Triplets in CB

Triplets in EL
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The rhythmic notation of A1 gives rise to doubts in this bar, since in spite of the change of time signature to , the bar contains 5 crotchets. Initially, Chopin most probably envisioned triplet movement, like in the version of [A2] (→CJ,CK), yet he eventually changed the first note from a quaver to a crotchet and added rests. Therefore, we adopt this notation, imprecise, yet suggestive, as the text of this autograph.

The rhythm of the sources coming from [A2] is generally unambiguous; although it is only in CB that the notation can be considered correct, minor inaccuracies in the remaining sources do not hamper its interpretation. In the main text we give the text of CJ, completed with a rest for the R.H. part, without which the notation could be misleading.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations; Source & stylistic information

issues: Corrections in A , Chopin's hesitations , Errors resulting from corrections , Deletions in A , Main-line changes

b. 45

composition: Op. 50 No. 1, Mazurka in G major

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In A1 (→FE) there is no  lowering e1 to e1. It is a result of inattention at the time of performing corrections in this autograph: originally, it was a crotchet featuring e1 alongside the necessary  that was on the 1st beat in the R.H. bottom voice. Chopin did not control the notation of accidentals after he had replaced it with a rest. The sign was added in EE; it is also in GE, which could also be explained by an editorial revision.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Errors resulting from corrections , GE revisions , Errors of A , Errors repeated in FE