Op. 39, Scherzo in C♯ minor

FE1 was based on a lost manuscript, probably the autograph [A2] prepared specially for that purpose after it had finally become clear which of the Paris publishers was going to publish the Scherzo and what his relations would be with publishers in London and Leipzig. This allows us to establish the date of writing [A2] for 1840, possibly the second part of that year.

Although [A2] was probably the latest manuscript used in the process of publishing the Scherzo, it cannot be considered as the ultimate expression of Chopin's intentions as regards the notation of his work. Many details of notation are written less accurately that in other sources: one-part notation in bars 81-82, 89-90 and analog. and also in bar 90 and 432; many performance markings missing in the coda (slurs in bars 573-584 and 605-616, cresc. in bars 574-580 and 606-612). Obviously, the above description also holds true for FE1 and captures those features of its notation that cannot be ascribed to errors or slips of engravers.

Engravers' errors are numerous in FE1 and include missing or erroneous accidentals (e.g. in bars 14-15 and 445), erroneous notes (e.g. in bars 344, 453), erroneous rhythm in bar 644, lack of key change (e.g. in bars 533-539), lack of crescendo continuation in bars 542-565. Other examples are listed in the description of FE2.

The fact the FE1 contains so many errors does not diminish its value as an authentic, independent source, often giving the chronologically latest version of certain elements of the work, e.g. rhythms in bars 31, 47 and analog., and sometimes the version that is the most precisely notated, e.g. slurs in bars 159-187 & analog.

FE1 was undoubtedly proofed by Chopin; revisers of first editions of Chopin's works did not normally introduce such radical changes as for instance lengthening of the slur in bars 129-138 or change of rhythm in bars 330 and 334. One can also suspect that the pedalling in bars 576 and 580 was added by Chopin when the work was in print. 

Notation of accents: a vast majority of those marks in FE1 are large accents placed after the note, In our opinion, this was the engraver's attempt to read long accent marks, and we reproduce them as such.