b. 10

Wedges in FE

Staccato dots in GE

No marks in EE

Crotchets suggested by the editors

The following articulation decisions are questionable:

  • shortened g and g bass notes, not compensated by the use of pedal; it does not seem right, since these notes continue the e and f minim line from the preceding bar;
  • inserting the legato indication in this very place most probably does not correspond to Chopin's intention, since the R.H. part articulation is a natural consequence of the slurring (from the beginning of the piece); as far as the L.H. is concerned, if Chopin had wanted the pairs of dyads to be performed legato, he could have marked it with a slur, which would be more obvious and simpler.

In this situation, we assume that the most likely scenario is that the FE engraver mistook the crotchet stems (pointing upwards) prolonging g and g for wedges; moreover, he put the legato indication too far – perhaps on purpose, to avoid contradictions between this indication and the wedges – which in this case is most probably meant to indicate "harmonic legato": .

The GE version resulted from revision – in this edition, two kinds of staccato markings used by Chopin, wedges and dots, were reduced to one kind, that is dots (which we discuss in detail in the note in bar 7). The missing marks in EE are due to an oversight or revision.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: Errors in FE, Errors in EE, GE revisions

notation: Rhythm, Articulation, Accents, Hairpins

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