mUltimate Chopin

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Issues : Corrections in A

b. 403

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

e2 in chord in A (→GE1→FE→EE)

e2-f2 in GE2
..

Originally, the 2nd crotchet in the bar in A was a c2-f2-c3. Chopin changed the middle note from f2 to e2 in the last phase of reviewing A (→GE1→FE→EE). The version of GE2 is a result of an erroneous interpretation of this correction.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Corrections in A , Errors resulting from corrections , Errors in GE , GE revisions

b. 409-411

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

..

In A one can see a three-bar correction here: the text on the top stave, including the part of the R.H. and crotchets in the L.H. (two in each bar), was crossed out and rewritten on the staves above (R.H. part) and below (the crotchets in the L.H. together with the necessary changes of clefs). The reason for these changes was an imprecision following from the original layout of the text – formally, the octave sign over the part of the R.H. would also apply to the crotchets in the L.H. written below it, which, of course, was not intended by Chopin. The original crossed out notation does not include 8- - -, so Chopin noticed a possible inaccuracy only when proceeding to write an octave sign.
Therefore, one may ponder whether it was already [AI], on the basis of which the composer probably copied A, that contained an imprecise notation or whether it was Chopin that, in order to make the process of notation easier, changed the layout in a careless manner only when writing A. 

category imprint: Corrections & alterations; Source & stylistic information

issues: Corrections in A

b. 422

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

..

In the sources, the cautionary  at the beginning of the bar is before B in the bass, yet it is absent before b2 in the R.H., where it is more justified. It seems that Chopin did not combine these two elements:

  • the sign in the R.H. did not seem to be necessary, same as the  returning g2 on the 3rd beat of this bar was overlooked – Chopin heard and wrote both voices independently.
  • the sign in the L.H. was copied while correcting this note from the original d, which makes it a momentum error – the correction is proved by a visible deletion of this note (see also corrections in analogous bars 461-462).

In the main text we remove the  in the L.H. and add it in the R.H.

category imprint: Editorial revisions; Corrections & alterations

issues: Corrections in A , Cautionary accidentals , Last key signature sign

b. 450

composition: Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor

b2 in A & EE

a2 in FC (→GE) & FE
..

The version of A is the original one, left by inadvertence: in an analogous situation, eight bars earlier, Chopin changed b2 to a2, and in the discussed bar he introduced an identical change in FC and FE. In the case of FE the change was introduced in the last phase of proofreading, not included in EE.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Corrections in A , Authentic corrections of FE , Omitted correction of an analogous place , Authentic corrections of FC

b. 453-462

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

..

The crossings-out visible in A in bars 453-454 and 461-462 allow us to reconstruct the two previous versions of the accompaniment in these bars:


  1.  

The first version appeared in [AI] probably also in bars 421-422, which is proved by certain remaining elements thereof in the notation of A (and which explains them at the same time) – cf. both notes on the L.H. in bar 422. If one of the previous versions was also in bars 413-414, one could conclude that Chopin's concentration was decreasing as he was copying similar phrases:

  • bars 413-414 feature the faultlessly written final version.
  • in bars 421-422 Chopin initially wrote the middle version, including elements of the original version – d at the beginning of the bar and b-f1 at the end. He changed the bass still in A, yet the 3rd crotchet – only in the proofreading of FE.
  • in the discussed bars, the earlier versions were written in A in whole – in bars 453-454 initially the first, then the second, whereas in bars 461-462 – only the second one. Chopin then crossed it out and replaced with the final version.

category imprint: Corrections & alterations; Source & stylistic information

issues: Corrections in A , Accompaniment changes