mUltimate Chopin

Op. 30, Mazurka in D♭ major

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Omission of current key accidentals

b. 23

composition: Op. 30, Mazurka in D♭ major

No accidental above  in sources

[] suggested by the editors
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The missing , clarifying that it is the c3 major second, and not the c3 augmented second, that should be used as the top mordent note, is probably an inaccuracy by Chopin, who only occasionally clarified the pitch of auxiliary notes in ornaments with an accidental. In spite of c3, played a moment ago, the default choice in a descending minor scale is a natural seventh, in this case c3 in the D minor scale. However, it does not mean that there are no exceptions to this rule, hence the literal interpretation of the text may be regarded as an acceptable variant, particularly since the use of augmented seconds in the melody of the two previous bars may mean that the composer wanted to achieve peculiar timbre of the minor version of this phrase with the help of those intervals.

category imprint: Editorial revisions

issues: Omission of current key accidentals

b. 36

composition: Op. 30, Mazurka in D♭ major

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In FC and FE the flats lowering c(1) to c(1) are missing. Chopin's patent mistake was corrected in GE and EE.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Errors in FE , GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals , Errors of FC

b. 39

composition: Op. 30, Mazurka in D♭ major

g2 in FC (→GE1) & FE (→EE)

g2 in GE2

Our variant suggestion
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There are two main arguments supporting the hypothesis that Chopin could have committed a mistake by leaving the 1st note in the bar without a  resulting in 

g2:

  • analogy with the three previous phrases, in which the 1st R.H. note always (both in C and B) constitutes the interval of a major ninth with the bass;
  • Chopin's hesitation, quite frequent, as to the presence of the last accidental in the key signature, in this case the  to g. The fact that Chopin was uncertain whether it was g or g that required an accidental is proven by a  to g2, put twice, in bars 27 and 35. Therefore, if Chopin provided the g2 note with a flat, which was actually totally unnecessary, it is logical to assume that a respective note without a  is to be interpreted as g2.

Due to the above, in the main text we suggest a variant solution with affinity to g2.
A natural was added in GE2, probably on the basis of a comparison with bar 31.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals , Last key signature sign

b. 47

composition: Op. 30, Mazurka in D♭ major

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In FC the naturals raising g to g in bar 47 and g2 to g2 in bar 48 are missing. The patent mistakes were corrected in GE; the correct text is also present in FE (→EE).

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Accidentals in different octaves , GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals , Errors of FC

b. 50-55

composition: Op. 30, Mazurka in D♭ major

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In this entire phrase, kept in the key of F minor, Chopin overlooked 5 naturals raising g notes (in various octaves) to g:

  • g1 in bars 50 and 53,
  • g in bars 51 and 54,
  • g2 in bar 55.

In EE accidentals were added in bars 53 and 55, while in GE all except in bar 53.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Errors in FE , Accidentals in different octaves , GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals , Errors of FC , Errors repeated in GE , Errors repeated in EE