Op. 10 No 9, Etude in F minor

First French edition, based on A. The comparison with the autograph, as well as visible traces of corrections reveal a number of more or less possible changes performed in print. The corrections, same as in the remaining Etudes, Op. 10, had probably at least two stages (see the Etude in C major, No. 1). Chopin's participation in all proofreadings and their broad range is revealed by the preserved correspondence between Schlesinger and Kistner and their palpable proof is constituted by FEcor (in the Etude in A minor, No. 2). While proofreading FE1 in this Etude, Chopin introduced a new concept of the use of mordents (changes in bars 2-3, 6-7, 38-39 and 42), completed pedalling (in 35 bars), fingering (in 15 bars in total), staccato marks (e.g., in bars 7, 10-11, 29, 33-34) and accidentals (e.g., in bar 22), as well as corrected and completed the slurring (e.g., in bars 6-8, 14-16, 28, 29). In bar 33, the enharmonic notation of the 1st note was changed from E to F.

Apart from the changes and additions illustrated above, which are undoubtedly a result of Chopin's intervention, in FE1 there is a number of differences in relation to A, whose qualification as authentic corrections is uncertain or even dubious. Above all, they concern the omitted performance indications, e.g.:

• slurs in the L.H. in bar 2,
• indications of dynamic character, as  marks in bar 4 or  in bar 28,
• wedges at the beginning of bars 24-25;
• grace note in bar 64.

This category should also include certain changes in the arrangement of the indications, e.g.,  and legatissimo in bar 1, moved in relation to A, as well as  instead of  in bar 61.

According to us, the majority of these situations follows from the engraver's haste. It may be even supposed that it was a more or less conscious strategy, as omitting a mark did not increase the workload (even if Chopin wrote the sign later in a proofreading, its addition was not related to any additional effort), engraving an erroneous mark required its burdensome removal. However, in certain fragments, in which next to the aforementioned omissions there are other marks or changes added in a proofreading of FE, one can consider the entire text as controlled and accepted by Chopin. Therefore, we analyse each of this kind of places individually in order to, on the one hand, respect the possible latest intention of Chopin and, on the other hand, not to deny the performer valuable authentic indications, which could have been omitted only by accident.

In spite of a multi-level proofreading, FE1 is also not free from obvious errors, e.g., a too early ended octave sign (bar 28) or  in bar 32.

Despite the fact that it was A that was Stichvorlage for FE1, in the edition there are visible traces of corrections of the versions which are not featured in this autograph, e.g., f³ in bar 67. They are probably accidental mistakes.