Issues : Long accents

b. 494-501

composition: Op. 21, Concerto in F minor, Mvt III

8 long accents in A

7 short & 1 long accents in GE1

7 short accents in FE

8 short accents in EE & GE2

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Out of eight long accents written in A, GE1 reproduced in this form only the mark in bar 497, which is naturally an accidental inaccuracy. The mark in this bar is slightly longer also in FE (→EE); however, the difference is so small that it is difficult to consider it meaningful. In GE2 all accents were unified.
FE omitted the last mark, in bar 501, most probably due to an oversight. The accent was added in EE.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Long accents , EE revisions , Errors in FE , Inaccuracies in GE , GE revisions

b. 495

composition: Op. 39, Scherzo in C♯ minor

Short accent in EE & GC (→GE)

Long accent in FE

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Long accent in FE seems to harmonize better with the phrase's character. 

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Long accents

b. 495-515

composition: Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor

11 long accents in A (contextual interpretation)

9 short accents in FC (→GE1)

8 long accents & 3 short ones in FE

10 short accents & 1 long one in EE

11 short accents in GE2 (→GE3)

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In the entire fragment (until b. 515) the accents under the R.H. bottom voice minims are of different length; they are also ambiguous in terms of their shape. As a result, determining whether Chopin meant a long or a short accent in a given bar is very problematic. We assume that they are long accents, since:

  • these minims are a part of a motif repeated as ostinato, hence there is no reason to differentiate between them;
  • even the shortest ones (b. 499, 507 and 515) are clearly longer than all undoubtedly short accents in the L.H. (b. 493-494, 496-502 and 508-515).

Similarly to b. 311-333, the remaining sources do not contain traces of Chopinesque intervention in this regard. The differences in the size of the marks in FC are minimal, so we assume – in accordance with GE – that they are short accents. Fontana overlooked the marks in b. 505 and 507, which was corrected in GE2 (→GE3). In FE we determine the length of the accents by comparing them with the undoubtedly short accents in the L.H. It results in short accents only in b. 501, 503 and 505. It is uncertain whether those differences were intended by the engraver, since the use of longer or shorter marks is neither musically consistent nor corresponding to the differences in A. In EE all accents are short except for b. 515, where the mark is clearly bigger.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Long accents , EE revisions , GE revisions , Errors of FC , Inaccuracies in FC

b. 495-503

composition: Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor

Long accents in A

No marks in FC (→GE1)

Short accents in FE (→EE) & GE2 (→GE3)

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Wherever the bass features the seventh of a dominant chord, Chopin provides it in A with a long accent (b. 495 and 503). The marks were overlooked by Fontana in FC (→GE1), whereas in FE (→EE) they were reproduced as short accents. Short accents were added in GE2 (→GE3), suspecting, correctly, inaccuracy of the notation of FC and GE1. A particular role of those notes is also emphasised by a slur combining each of them with the bass note in the next bar.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Long accents , Inaccuracies in FE , GE revisions , Errors of FC

b. 504-507

composition: Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor

Long, short & 2 long accents in A (literal reading)

3 short accents in FC

2 short accents in GE1

4 short accents in A (contextual interpretation→FEEE) & GE2 (→GE3)

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Three out of four L.H. accents in these bars are longer in A than the others, undoubtedly short (although not as long as the one in b. 503). The remaining sources contain short accents only, while FC is missing the last one, whereas GE1 – the last two. As the version of A we give the literal interpretation, with three long accents. However, in the main text we adopt short accents, since Chopin, by means of placement of an accent, i.e. under or over the notes, indicated whether an accent refers to the crotchet (over, short accent) or to the minim (under, long accent), and the discussed accents are written over the notes.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Long accents , Errors in GE , GE revisions , Errors of FC