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Op. 12, Variations in B♭ major

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Articulation, Accents, Hairpins
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Articulation, Accents, Hairpins

b. 73

composition: Op. 12, Variations in B♭ major

Wedges in FE

Staccato dots in GE

No markings in EE
..

The absence of marks in EE is most probably an oversight. On the other hand, the change of wedges to staccato dots in GE resulted from general revision of the publisher – see the note in bar 7.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Errors in EE , GE revisions

b. 75-76

composition: Op. 12, Variations in B♭ major

Wedges in FE

Staccato dots in GE

No markings in EE
..

The two missing wedges in EE (b3 in bar 75 and d2-d3 in bar 76) must be due to oversight. In GE the two kinds of staccato markings present in FE (→EE), wedges and dots (which was very typical of Chopin in that period), were reduced to one kind – dots – in the entire Variations. On this page, we write about it in the note in bar 67.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Errors in EE , GE revisions

b. 79-92

composition: Op. 12, Variations in B♭ major

Wedges in FE (→EE)
..

Most of the wedges present in FE (→EE) were arbitrarily changed to staccato dots in GE – see the note in bar 7. As the change covers all wedges included in GE, we consider the version of this edition one variant, on this page encompassing 13 marks in bar 79, 89 and 90-91 (except the L.H. quavers in the 2nd half of bar 91). We discuss the omissions of marks in some editions separately – see bar 91 and 92.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: EE revisions , Inaccuracies in FE , GE revisions

b. 90

composition: Op. 12, Variations in B♭ major

over R.H. in FE (→EE)

Long accent in GE

 under R.H., our alternative suggestion
..

It is unclear whether the  mark is to be understood as a diminuendo hairpin or as a long accent. Placing the mark over the R.H. part, which limits its impact to this part or to the melodic voice, suggests the latter. The considerable size of the mark in FE could be a side effect of the non-densely packed text in this edition – the mark in [A], in spite of a similar position between a crotchet and a quaver, could have been much shorter, as evidenced by GE. A hairpin would be supported by the presence of  in the 2nd half of the bar – after the octave sequence in the previous bar, played , a diminuendo would provide a natural path to this . In this case, the sense of the mark would be clearer if it were placed between the staves. Therefore, a third alternative interpretation would be a  between the staves.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Long accents , Inaccuracies in GE , Scope of dynamic hairpins

b. 91

composition: Op. 12, Variations in B♭ major

No marks in FE (→GE)

2 wedges in EE
..

The missing wedges under two out of 12 quavers (in the R.H. and L.H.) constituting a homogeneous sequence of chords must be considered an oversight. Therefore, in the main text we include the revision introduced by EE.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: EE revisions