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b. 4

composition: Op. 28 No. 15, Prelude in D♭ major

Slur in sources

No slur, our suggestion
..

In the main text we omit the additional slur being a part of the marking of the irregular group – cf. General Editorial Principles, p. 16. The same applies to b. 23 and 79.

category imprint: Editorial revisions

issues: Triplet slurs

b. 4-5

composition: Op. 28 No. 15, Prelude in D♭ major

Separate slurs in A (→FE)

Continuous slur in FC (→GE) & EE
..

The continuous phrase mark of FC (→GE) is a mistake of the copyist – the phrase marks in A are clearly separated, and their shape does not indicate that they should be combined. In FE b. 4 ends a line, while the phrase mark in b. 4 suggests that it should be continued, which, generally, is not confirmed by the phrase mark in b. 5 (cf. the beginning of the next line in FE). Considered as a whole, however, the notation of FE may be misleading, which explains the presence of a continuous phrase mark in EE.  

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Inaccuracies in FE , Errors of FC

b. 4

composition: Op. 28 No. 13, Prelude in F♯ major

Semibreve c1 in A (→FE→EE1)

Dotted minim in FC (→GE) & EE2
..

A comparison with similar b. 2, 10 and 12 proves that Chopin wanted the c1 note to be heard in the 2nd half of the bar too. Therefore, it was certainly wrong of Fontana to shorten its value. It would be more justified to extend the length of the note with a dot, as was performed in the aforementioned bars; however, it is not necessary due to pedal. The change in EE2 was most probably introduced under the influence of GE1 (other examples of wrong versions of GE1 having been introduced into EE2 – see, e.g. the Prelude No. 5 in D Major, b. 16, No. 21 in B Major, b. 4 or No. 24 in D Minor, b. 47-49).

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Fontana's revisions

b. 4-5

composition: Op. 28 No. 12, Prelude in G♯ minor

Separate slurs in A

Continuous slur in #KC (→GE) & FE (→EE)
..

In A there is a phrase mark over b. 1-4 and also another one, which, when interpreted literally, starts from the 2nd quaver in b. 5. Therefore, nothing indicates Chopin's intention to combine them, hence the interpretations of both FC and FE must be considered erroneous (besides, the copyist considered the division of the phrase mark in b. 7-8 and 8-9 to be accidental too). Moreover, we assume that the beginning of the phrase mark in b. 5 is inaccurate in A; according to our interpretation, it starts from the 1st quaver. It is justified by the fact that in a few other situations Chopin equated a phrase mark beginning between the 1st and 2nd quavers to a phrase mark running clearly from the 1st quaver, e.g. b. 1 and 9 or 29 and 31. See also the note to b. 54-55.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Errors in FE , Inaccurate slurs in A , Errors of FC

b. 4

composition: Op. 28 No. 12, Prelude in G♯ minor

Accent in A, contextual interpretation

No mark in FC & FE (→EE)

Staccato dot in GE
..

In A (→FC) the L.H. part is marked in an abridged manner as a repetition of b. 3. When expanding on that abbreviation, both FE (→EE) and GE omitted the accent, probably considering it to refer to the R.H. However, Chopin would actually associate accents with the L.H., which is proven by the notation of b. 12, in which the accent is put over the L.H. chord. In FC, unlike in A, the accents in b. 1-3 are placed closer to the R.H. part, which somehow justifies the omission of the accent in GE, but not the addition of a staccato dot in this place.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Source & stylistic information

issues: GE revisions , Abbreviated notation of A , Inaccuracies in FC