GE1 - First German edition


Publisher: Charles Haslinger quondam Tobie
Date: VII 1851
Plate number: T.H.8147.
Title: Grande Sonate
Dedication: None

First German edition, based on A. It contains numerous revisions concerning, above all, accidentals and – to a lesser extent – articulation and dynamic markings. Chopin did not participate in the development of GE1 – see the description of this edition in the 1st mov. of the Sonata.

A few changes introduced by GE1 go beyond the typical revision process:

  • altering the chord in bar 7 & analog. – sharps raising all f notes to f in the 2nd half of the bar were added;
  • correcting the voice leading in bar 103, after an analogous place;
  • changing e2 to e2 in bar 128;
  • far-reaching interpretation of possible accents in bars 144-145;
  • changing the structure of the voices in the L.H. part in bars 172-175;
  • adding a middle note (b) in the last two chords in bar 252;
  • changing the order of the b and b notes in the L.H. figuration in bar 255;
  • changing the L.H. octave from A-a to A-a in bar 317;
  • changing the D minor chord to D at the beginning of bar 343.

Chopin's frugality in writing accidentals, explained in the description of A, forced the engraver (reviser) of GE1 to perform numerous interventions, as a result of which the vast majority of these defects were corrected. Moreover, a considerable number of cautionary accidentals were added, mostly justified, e.g. in bar 28, 58 or 74. In addition, some accidentals, unnecessarily entered by Chopin, were omitted – repeated within a bar or cautionary accidentals without sufficient justification, e.g. in bar 44, 46, 52.

The changes and additions concerning slurs are particularly numerous. The evaluation thereof is inconclusive, as A slurs are often inaccurate, thus certain revisions were undoubtedly necessary, e.g. in bars 120-121153 or 281-282, or recommended, e.g. in bar 71236 or 276. However, other changes and additions in this respect seem incorrect or unnecessary, e.g. combining the slurs in bars 73-74.

Justified changes were also made to other elements of notation, e.g. the unfinished octave sign in bars 390-391 was completed.

In GE1 a number of mistakes were also committed, e.g.:

  • adding a  before a wrong chord in bar 11;
  • changing  to  in bar 15 & 49,  to  in bar 72;
  • omitting the  in bar 12, the staccato dots in bar 20 in bar 379, the accent in bar 384;
  • overlooking the f1 crotchet in bar 142;
  • printing a  (c) instead of a  (c) in bar 151;
  • adding – due to misinterpretation of the division into voices – an augmentation dot to e1 in bar 160.
Original in: Jan Ekier private collection, Warsaw
Shelf-mark: A.1