In the sources bar 239 ends a line, as in our transcriptions. In A the e
1-a1-c2 chord is the starting point of three slurs/ties, which seem to be ties, although they end quite early in the bar and are not continued in bar 240. According to us, it can be interpreted twofold:
- Chopin's notation is correct. In this case, the slurs/ties are to be considered "tenuto-slurs", emphasising the need to hold the entire rhythmic value of the chord in bar 239, and all 3 notes in the chord at the beginning of bar 240 are to be played. This version was reproduced without significant changes by GE (→EE).
- The missing endings of the ties and the slur from bar 239 are due to Chopin's mistake. After adding the overlooked endings at the beginning of bar 240, two of them – to e1 and c2 – become ties, while the third one (a1-a1) is an articulation-motivic slur. FE and IE provide the A notation supplemented in this way.
According to us, the second possibility – oversight – seems more likely in terms of sources, as "tenuto-slurs" are not to be found in Chopin's works created during the Warsaw period. Therefore, we provide it in the main text; as an alternative solution, we suggest an equal version in terms of the notes used, yet omitting the potentially misleading middle slur, which could suggest that all three notes of the e1-a1-c2 chord should be tied. The version featuring tenuto-slurs, in which the original chromatic harmonic sequence in bar 240 is better heard, can be considered an acceptable variant.
Compare the passage in the sources »
category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources; Editorial revisions
issues: FE revisions, Uncertain slur continuation, Tenuto slurs,