Main text
Main text
FE - French edition
FE0 -
FE1 - First French edition
FED - Dubois copy
FEJ - Jędrzejewicz copy
GE - German edition
FEG - Chopin's Stichvorlage for GE
GE1 - First German edition
GE2 - Second German edition
GE3 - Corrected impression of GE2
EE - English edition
EE1 - First English edition
compare
  b. 277-280

No marks in FE

Long accents in FEG (contextual interpretation)

Long accents in GE

Short accents in EE

The accents written by Chopin in FEG raise doubts as to the type of the used accent and placement with respect to the upper and bottom stave. The first two signs are undoubtedly long, the third is invisible on the available photocopy, while the fourth one seems to be short. In GE all accents were reproduced as long, which may be considered as a relevant hint, as the interpretation was performed on the basis of the original. On the other hand, the engraver of GE1 saw short diminuendos in these signs, referring to the R.H. (which seems to be justified on the basis of the first two) and he could have adapted the remaining ones to this vision. EE, based on Chopin additions in another copy of FE0, has short accents over the L.H., which in this situation does not facilitate the conclusion what was Chopin's intention in this respect. We adopt the interpretation of FEG as the basis of the main text, based on the following premises: 

  • shape of the signs – we consider the long accents of FEG in bars 277-278 as meaningful, supported with the interpretation of all signs in GE;
  • placement of the signs – not having decisive arguments for assigning the accents to one of the hands, we place them in the middle; it can be considered as compatible with the notation of FEG, if in the evaluation of the accents we take into account their distance from the nearest note heads in the parts of both hands.

Compare the passage in the sources »

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Long accents, Authentic corrections of GE, Authentic corrections of EE

notation: Articulation, Accents, Hairpins

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