mUltimate Chopin

WN 17, Polonaise in B♭ major

Text Compare Notes Sources Description
Select: 
Category
All
Graphic ambiguousness
Interpretations within context
Differences between sources
Editorial revisions
Corrections & alterations
Source & stylistic information
Ornaments
All
Pitch
Rhythm
Slurs
Articulation, Accents, Hairpins
Verbal indications
Pedalling
Fingering
Ornaments
Shorthand & other
Importance
All
Important
Main
Undo Clear

Ornaments

b. 26-30

composition: WN 17, Polonaise in B♭ major

No ornaments in JC & PE

 in EF

Our variant suggestion
..

The  signs over the last quaver in bars 26, 28, and 30 appears only in EF. As they are absent both in JC and in PE, in the main text we leave their possible application to the decision of the performer. 

In bars 26 and 30 we complete the signs indicating the use of a and b respectively as the upper notes of the trills.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

b. 26-30

composition: WN 17, Polonaise in B♭ major

No trill endings in JC & GEF

Trill endings in FEF

PE

Our suggestion
..

Trill endings in the form of a double grace note are to be found in FEF in all three analogous places (bars 26, 28, and 30), while in PE only in the first two. Regardless of whether the lack of ending in bar 30 appeared still in [A], or if it is a mere engraver's oversight, it seems to be highly unlikely that a trill in this place should be performed differently than in the previous two. 
Lack of endings in GEF proves that Fontana introduced last corrections into FEF after GEF had already been printed.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Fontana's revisions

b. 37

composition: WN 17, Polonaise in B♭ major

13 semiquavers in JC

11 semiquavers in EF

13 semiquavers in PE, literal reading

13 semiquavers in PE, probable interpretation
..

The source discrepancies observed in the notation of the semiquaver group are not easily explicable and interpretable. Out of a number of possibilities, for the main text we adopt a solution which is maximally close to the version of the base source (PE), in which we change an element of auxiliary character, which does not influence significantly the graphic image of notation, at the same time clearly incompatible with this image (the number 11 over the group of 13 notes).

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

b. 38

composition: WN 17, Polonaise in B♭ major

 

 in EF

 in PE
..

Lack of the ornament in JC may be a result of the copyist's distraction or of Chopin's himself (cf. the note concerning bar 37). The difference between EF and PE – see the note related to bars 10-11.

category imprint: Differences between sources

b. 42

composition: WN 17, Polonaise in B♭ major

Arpeggio sign in JC & PE

No sign in EF
..

category imprint: Differences between sources