mUltimate Chopin

Op. 39, Scherzo in C♯ minor

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Long accents

b. 49

composition: Op. 39, Scherzo in C♯ minor

..

EE has a short accent here. As the remaining sources clearly have long accents, the notation of the English edition must probably be inaccurate.

category imprint: Source & stylistic information

issues: Long accents , EE inaccuracies

b. 55

composition: Op. 39, Scherzo in C♯ minor

 in EE & GC (→GE)

Long accent in FE
..

We put a long accent into our main text, following FE. In the remaining sources this mark may be interpreted either as a long accent or as a hairpin mark  . In practice, the difference is negligible, as in Chopin's notation  marks that are not preceded by   have the meaning of a long accent and diminuendo.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Long accents

b. 76-89

composition: Op. 39, Scherzo in C♯ minor

12 accents in EE

13 accents in GC

12 accents in GE

11 accents in FE

Our suggestion (13 accents)

Our alternative suggestion (11 accents)
..

The sources differ here both with respect to the type of accents above the minims of the highest voice (short in EE and GC or long in FE) and to their occurrence in particular bars:

  • EE has 12 accents in bars 76-87,
  • GC has 13 accents in bars 76-81 and 83-89,
  • GE has 12 accents in bars 76-81 and 84-89,
  • FE has 11 accents in bars 76-80, 83-87 and 89.

In the editors' opinion, the accent that FE has in bar 80 may have been placed there by mistake, and was meant to be placed in bar 81. Allowing for that possibility leads us to put forward the following proposal as an alternative to the main text: 11 accents in bars 76-79, 81, 83-87 and 89.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Long accents , Errors in FE , Errors in EE , Errors in GE

b. 81

composition: Op. 39, Scherzo in C♯ minor

Long accent in EE

 in GC (→GE)

No mark in FE
..

For our main text we choose the long accent found in EE. The hairpin mark  present in GC (→GE) may also result from a faulty interpretation of a long accent mark by the copyist (cf. bar 89, in which the sources only have accent marks).

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Long accents

b. 89

composition: Op. 39, Scherzo in C♯ minor

Short accent in EE & GC (→GE)

No mark in FE

Our suggestion—a long accent
..

We consider it very likely that the notation of the sources is not accurate here.  It is sometimes difficult to differentiate between the two types of accents most often used by Chopin even when one has the autograph at their disposal. We suggest a long accent, as in the similar bar 81. 

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Long accents