mUltimate Chopin

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Unclear hairpins in A

b. 15

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

No sign in AI & CDP

 in A & FE

 in GE

 in EE
..

An accurate determination of the range of  hairpins in A is impeded by different length of the sign's arms and inaccurately aligned first figures in the left and right hands. We assume that the sign is graphically correlated to the 3rd and 15th semiquavers, belonging to a secondary melodic motif.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Inaccuracies in GE , Scope of dynamic hairpins , GE revisions , Unclear hairpins in A

b. 15-16

composition: Op. 28 No. 16, Prelude in B♭ minor

2 half-bar long  in A (contextual interpretation→FE→EE)

Different  in FC

Different  in GE
..

Both  marks in these bars have clearly different arms in A – the top arm begins in the middle of the bar, while the bottom one – on the 2nd beat. According to us, it is the top arm that should be regarded as reliable, since it was written first. This is how those marks were interpreted in FE (→EE) and the latter also in FC (inaccurately reproduced in GE). In FC (→GE) in b. 15 Fontana averaged the length of the arms.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Inaccuracies in GE , Scope of dynamic hairpins , Unclear hairpins in A

b. 21

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

No signs in AI & CDP

 in A

 in GE

  in FE

  in EE

  suggested by the editors
..

Although the  hairpins in A have arms of different length, it seems natural, however, to adopt that they begin only in the middle of the bar. Hence we consider the longer sign in GE to be inaccurate. In the main text we also include the  hairpins, probably added by Chopin in base texts to FE and EE.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Scope of dynamic hairpins , Unclear hairpins in A

b. 27-28

composition: Op. 27 No 2, Nocturne in D♭ major

 in A

GE1 (bar 27 opens a new line)

GE2

FE (→EE)

The editors’ proposal

 
..

None of the versions found in the sources can be treated as fully reflecting Chopin's intention. The notation of bars 26-28 in A – including   in bars 27-28 – seems quite untidy, and in GE1 and FE it is easy to point out at elements reproduced inaccurately or incorrectly. In our proposal we try to combine the least questionable elements of the notation of  A and FE (i.e. sources that can be considered the most authentic) to create a musically justified whole.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Errors in FE , Unclear hairpins in A

b. 27-32

composition: Op. 24 No. 3, Mazurka in A♭ major

Accents in AI

& accents in A, literal reading

Contextual interpretation of & accents in A (→GE2)

& accents in GE1 (→FE)


EE

Our suggestion
..

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Interpretations within context; Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Long accents , Inaccuracies in GE , EE inaccuracies , Unclear hairpins in A