b. 41-54

In FES and FEJ there are visible deletions including bars 41-53. It is a continuation of an abbreviation, which was started in bar 36, contributing to a more convenient performance of the Etude by deleting the most difficult, virtuoso fragments. In both copies, it was also the beginning of bar 54 that was modified, yet an accurate interpretation of the concerning it entries is not easy. The doubts concern the L.H.:

  • in FES none of the signs or line concern the printed B-b octave, therefore, we leave it unchanged, although a single B would also be possible here;
  • delicate lines visible in FEJ may mean a modification, yet the suggested interpretation – a B-f fifth –  is, to a large extent, a conjecture.

According to us, there is also a doubt concerning the use of d2(1) or d2(1) – although none of the copies added naturals, yet after the previous four-bar section, maintained in A major and B minor keys, a d2(1) could seem obvious to Chopin.

The fingering written in FES – see the note to bars 41-42.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Annotations in teaching copies, Annotations in FES, Annotations in FEJ

notation: Shorthand & other

Back to note