It is unclear which notes the middle one of the 3 slurs/ties combining the chords on the 3rd and 4th beat of the bar in A concerns – a
1 (which would make it a tie) or b1-c2. According to us, although its left-hand ending is at the pitch of a1, it is the other possibility that is more likely, that is a b1-c2 slur. It is supported by the following arguments:
- graphic similarities between all 3 slurs – their right-hand endings are placed higher, which suggests that all of them concern the ascending second motifs, d1-e1, b1-c2, d2-e2;
- the comparison with the preceding bar, in which, in an analogous situation, Chopin wrote 2 slurs clearly referring to the ascending motifs, which indicates that a1 should be repeated.
In GE (→FE,EE,IE) the problem was "solved" by adding a 4th slur, which is an arbitrary decision frequently encountered in Chopin's pieces – cf., e.g. mov. IV of the Sonata, bar 57.
Compare the passage in the sources »
category imprint: Differences between sources
issues: GE revisions