mUltimate Chopin

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Errors in EE

b. 5-6

composition: Op. 10 No 5, Etude in G♭ major

Wedge in A

3 dots in FE (→GE1→GE1a→GE2→GE3)

No marks in EE2

5 dots in EE3 (→EE4)

6 dots in GE4 (→GE5)
..

The only staccato sign in A is the wedge at the beginning of bar 6. The dots in bars 6 were added by Chopin in a proofreading of FE (→GE1→GE1a→GE2→GE3). Lacking dots in bar 5 are undoubtedly the result of Chopin's inadvertence. Versions in EE testify to an oversight and a later revision. Similar, but more careful revision in GE4 (→GE5) in our opinion represents accurately Chopin's intention.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Errors in EE , Authentic corrections of FE

b. 5

composition: Op. 10 No 3, Etude in E major

No marks in AI

Short accent in GE & EE, probable reading of A

Dot & accent in FE

Possible interpretation of A
..

In the sources, the indications concerning the e1 crotchet are unclear. The fact of shifting the accent in A to the right may be considered as an irrelevant inaccuracy of notation or a suggestion of the sign's length. The version of FE seems to be even more puzzling, especially given the fact that it was most probably corrected – over the stave, to the right of the note there are visible possible traces of deletion of the accent. It is also unclear why the staccato dot was not included neither in GE nor in EE.
In the main text we give a short accent over the note, which combines the most definite elements of the notation of the sources. Alternatively, due to the melodic context, we suggest a long accent here.

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

issues: Long accents , Errors in EE , GE revisions , Authentic corrections of FE

b. 5

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

..

In EE1 the lowest note of the last beat in the R.H. is the erroneous a1.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Errors in EE

b. 5

composition: Op. 25 No 6, Etude in G♯ minor

..

The sources differ in notation of the accidentals on the 1st and 4th semiquavers of the last group. Due to the regularity of the figurations, it can be assumed that Chopin was thinking about b2-d3 and d3-f3. When the group is written without the octave sign, the text does not require any signs and this is the notation we see in FE. In the remaining sources, an octave sign was used (same as in the main text), which leads to the need of making the notation more precise:

  • In FC (→GE1) the last third is written at an erroneous pitch, hence the problem concerns only the 1st third, which is not preceded by any sign.
  • In EE1 there are also no signs before the 1st third, in turn, there are sharps before both notes of the last third. It is undoubtedly a mistake, as the  next to d3 makes sense only before the 1st third. In EE2 (→EE3) the  concerning d3 was not moved, yet a  was added before b2.
  • GE2 (→GE3) includes the notation compatible with the contemporary standards, adopted also in the main text.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: EE revisions , Errors in EE , GE revisions , Errors of FC

b. 5

composition: Op. 25 No 11, Etude in A minor

..

In EE there is no  returning d4 at the beginning of the 2nd group of semiquavers. This rather obvious error remained unnoticed by the revisers of EE and was never corrected. According to us, it is possible that it was the copyist writing the base text to EE that committed the mistake, as in analogous bar 69, which was marked as repetition of bar 1 in the manuscripts, a respective  was probably added in EE in print. 

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Errors in EE