mUltimate Chopin

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Accidental below/above the note

b. 157

composition: Op. 23, Ballade in G minor

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The sharp to f3 is written in A much lower, at the pitch of b2. Such inaccuracies are often to be found in Chopinesque autographs.

category imprint: Source & stylistic information

issues: Accidental below/above the note

b. 220

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

c1-d1 in A (→GE1→FE), literal reading

c1-d1 in EE

c1-d1 in FED

d1-d1 in GE2

c1-d1 in A, probable interpretation
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The harmonically vague and sonically awkward version of A (→GE1→FE) raised doubts already in EE and GE2, in which the penultimate quaver was changed – by analogy to bar 218 – to c1 (EE) or d1 (GE2). However, it is uncertain whether Chopin meant a strict analogy here, since he did not preserve such an analogy in the part of the R.H. This supposition is confirmed by a correction introduced in FED and this is the version, performed during lessons with Chopin, that we give in the main text. According to us, there is also another possible interpretation of the notation of A, assuming the occurrence of the most frequent Chopin mistakes – an oversight of cancellation of an accidental placed earlier. It leads to the last of the given versions, in which the last two quavers are c1-d1.  

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Annotations in teaching copies , EE revisions , Annotations in FED , Omissions to cancel alteration , GE revisions , Errors of A , Accidental below/above the note

b. 255

composition: Op. 2, Variations, complete

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As far as the naturals raising e to e in the 2nd half of bar 255 are concerned, in A Chopin was satisfied with accidentals to the L.H. chord (e1) and the 3rd demisemiquaver (e3). The remaining 3 naturals necessary later in the passage were added by GE (→FE,EE).
In EE the  to the L.H. chord, which was placed slightly too low in GE1, was interpreted as a natural raising d1 to d1.
In A the  to e3 is written too low, at the pitch of c3. Such inaccuracies are often to be found in Chopin's autographs, generally – as is the case here – with no influence on the interpretation of the text.

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

issues: Accidentals in different octaves , Inaccuracies in GE , Errors in EE , GE revisions , Accidental below/above the note , Inaccuracies in A

b. 296

composition: Op. 39, Scherzo in C♯ minor

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 GC has the flat before the chord placed at the height of d1. We can come across similar inaccuracies in Chopin's own manuscripts as well. GE has the correct text that is evident from the context. 

category imprint: Source & stylistic information

issues: Accidental below/above the note , Inaccuracies in GC

b. 306

composition: Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor

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In A the  before the middle note of the L.H. chord is placed clearly too low, which in this case could have been due to the intention of avoiding collision with the bar line. Fontana correctly interpreted the meaning of that mark in FC (→GE); however, in FE the sharp was initially ascribed to the bottom note of the chord, g. That erroneous version got to EE1 and was then corrected through the addition of a proper  both in the last phase of proofreading of FE and in EE2 (→EE3).

category imprint: Differences between sources; Source & stylistic information

issues: EE revisions , Errors in EE , Cautionary accidentals , FE revisions , Accidental below/above the note