mUltimate Chopin

Op. 42, Waltz in A♭ major

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : EE revisions

b. 217

composition: Op. 42, Waltz in A♭ major

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In the entire bar FE0 (→FE,FEG) has only two cautionary accidentals: a  lowering g2 to g2 on the 3rd quaver and a  raising a1 to a1 in the L.H. Out of three undoubtedly overlooked signs in the R.H., it is the lack of the  raising a1 to a1 at the beginning of the bar that is most striking; the accidental was added in pencil in FED, it was also added in GE and EE. In both editions a  was added also before the last quaver, yet the fully correct notation is only in GE.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Annotations in teaching copies , EE revisions , Errors in FE , Annotations in FED , Accidentals in different octaves , GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals

b. 218-219

composition: Op. 42, Waltz in A♭ major

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In both bars in FE0 (→FE,FEG) there is not any  lowering g3(2) to g3(2). The flats in bars 217 and 220 prove Chopin's oversights, probably still in [A]. Some of the necessary signs were added in pencil by the composer in FED (both before g3) and in FEJ (at the beginning of bar 219). They were also added in GE and EE (the sign in bar 218 only in GE2 and GE3).

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Annotations in teaching copies , EE revisions , Errors in FE , Annotations in FED , GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals , Annotations in FEJ

b. 234-235

composition: Op. 42, Waltz in A♭ major

Slur in FE0 (→FE,FEG→GE1)

Slur in EE

No slur in GE2 (→GE3)
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The short slur between the last semiquaver in bar 234 and the first note in bar 235, printed in FE0 (→FE,GE1), and reproduced also in EE (in a probably revised form), is presumably a remnant of the original, negligent and incomplete slurring of [A]. The notation in FE and GE1 does not seem likely to be faithful to the original script, either—EE is possibly closer to it. In the main text we omit this slur, regarding longer phrase marks added by Chopin in the basis for EE and in the proofreading of FE as intended to replace this short slur. This is, however, not so obvious in case of FEG in which the written slur does not seemingly embrace the ending of bar 234. Therefore, if a shortest version of the slur in bars 232-234 is adopted, then  the discussed short slur is recommended to be taken into consideration (in the EE version).

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Inaccuracies in FE , GE revisions

b. 276-277

composition: Op. 42, Waltz in A♭ major

accel. in FEG & FE, literal reading

accelerando in GE

accelerando in EE
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According to us, the accel. indication written by Chopin in FEG should be understood as "over the 1st quaver in bar 277" and not "from the last quaver in bar 276". This is how it was understood in GE and this is the interpretation we adopt in the main text. The entry underlying the version of FE must have looked similarly. We develop the abbreviation used by Chopin, which is used less frequently nowadays; GE and EE already include the full indication.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , GE revisions , Authentic corrections of FE , Authentic corrections of GE , Authentic corrections of EE

b. 281

composition: Op. 42, Waltz in A♭ major

a1 in FE0 (→FE1,FEG→GE)

a1-c2 in EE

Our variant suggestion
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Both source versions of the 4th quaver may be authentic, yet each of them may be erroneous:

  • the version of FE and GE with single a1 may be a result of an error of the engraver of FE, noticed by Chopin only at the time of preparing the base text to EE;
  • the version of EE with the a1-c2 third may be a mistake of the engraver (the thirds on the 4th quaver of the bar are present both in the previous bars and in the next one, cf. bar 284) or a revision on the basis of the analogy with the next bar.

According to us, there are a few more arguments for a single note in this place, yet they are not conclusive. Therefore, in the main text we suggest a variant solution.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Errors in FE , Authentic corrections of EE