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Op. 10 No 8, Etude in F major

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b. 37-40

composition: Op. 10 No 8, Etude in F major

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The sources differ in the presence of accidentals, which, however, does not raise any doubts concerning the text's interpretation. Considering the fact that Chopin and a part of his editors used slightly different rules of validity of the signs written with the use of the octave sign, we state that A is missing two necessary signs, a  before the bottom note of the octave at the beginning of bar 37 (B) and a  before the 14th semiquaver in bar 38 (e1). In FE (→EE) only the 1st of them was completed, in GE – both. According to the rules which are generally applied today, we also consider both flats in the 3rd group of semiquavers in bar 38 (e2 and a1) and a  in the 3rd group in bar 40 (c2) to be necessary. Some of them were added in GE1 (the  of a1) and in EE4 (), while GE2 and subsequent GE,s include all of them.  

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Accidentals in different octaves

b. 38-40

composition: Op. 10 No 8, Etude in F major

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We add a cautionary  before b3 in bar 38 and naturals before e1 in the middle of bar 39 and a at the beginning of bar 40. The 1st of them was already added in GE, the 2nd – in GE3 (→GE4).

category imprint: Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: GE revisions

b. 41-42

composition: Op. 10 No 8, Etude in F major

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In both bars in A (→FE), there are no accidentals before the last note of the 2nd group of semiquavers. These patent oversights were completed in GE and EE. The sharps are also written in pencil in FES.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Annotations in teaching copies , EE revisions , GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals , Annotations in FES , Inaccuracies in A

b. 42

composition: Op. 10 No 8, Etude in F major

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In A there is no  before the 1st semiquaver in the L.H., yet it is before the 6th note. However, there are no doubts that both notes are meant to be b. The error was corrected in a proofreading of FE, by moving the  at the beginning of the bar. Moreover, the  before the last semiquaver (f1) was omitted in A (→FE). GE and EE have a correct text in this bar. 

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Omission of current key accidentals , Authentic corrections of FE

b. 43

composition: Op. 10 No 8, Etude in F major

 f on 2nd beat in A (→FE→EE)

f & f in GE

f twice in FES

Interpretation of A (→FE→EE) suggested by the editors
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In A (→FE→EE) the  raising f to f is placed only in the 2nd group of semiquavers. The tonality of D major, consolidated in the previous bars, does not leave any doubt that lack of  before the 2nd note in the bar is another sign Chopin overlooked, due to obviousness of the situation. Writing a  before the 6th semiquaver was probably related to the impression of harmonic change – from the 2nd group in bar 43 to the 1st group in bar 44, the key of F minor transitionally prevails. The sign in the 2nd group confused the reviser of GE, who, believing that it was f that was supposed to be in the 1st group, added a cautionary  before the 2nd semiquaver. Chopin would often place an accidental too late, e.g., in bar 42, as well as in other pieces, e.g., Etude in A, No. 10, bar 37, Sonata in B minor, Op. 35, 4th mov., bar 51, the Mazurka in A minor, Dbop. 42B, bar 61, the Concerto in F minor, Op. 21, 1st mov., bar 100, 2nd mov., bar 75.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Annotations in teaching copies , GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals , Errors of A , Annotations in FES