mUltimate Chopin

Op. 10 No 4, Etude in C♯ minor

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Inaccurate note pitch in A

b. 15

composition: Op. 10 No 4, Etude in C♯ minor

c2 in AI, literal reading

b1 in FE (→GE,EE)
..

Interpretation of the pitch of the 2nd and 3rd crotchets in AI poses difficulties – the note heads are slightly bigger than usually, which suggests performed corrections, yet their result is not clear:

  • on the 2nd crotchet of the bar one can see c2 (more likely) or d2,
  • on the 3rd crotchet one can see c2, yet one also cannot exclude b1.

Taking into account the fact that first three crotchets of the text are written at an each time lower pitch and the phrase development in the published version seems to be so natural thanks to repetitions of the four-note motif, one can suppose that the seemingly different notation of AI is simply erroneous, while in the notation of the 3rd crotchet, two clear errors overlapped – lack of  and inaccurate position of the note head.

As the version of AI we adopt a stylistically acceptable text which imposes itself, while interpreting without detailed analyses and comparisons. 

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Inaccurate note pitch in A

b. 42

composition: Op. 10 No 4, Etude in C♯ minor

AI, literal reading

AI, possible interpretation

FE (→GE,EE)

Our suggestion
..

When interpreted literally, AI has in the last group of semiquavers two notes different than in the published version: the 2nd semiquaver a (without ) and the 4th semiquaver A. According to us, it is a result of overlapping of inaccuracies and corrections, while the text intended by Chopin does not differ from the text of the remaining sources:  

  • at the time of writing a Chopin most probably had a in mind and he even started writing a  before this note. Instead of finishing the sign, he probably decided to change it to g, although the remade (?) note still is more similar to a/a;
  • the last semiquaver is probably written inaccurately, too low.

In the main text we give the version of FE (→GE,EE), completed with the cautionary  before g.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Interpretations within context; Differences between sources; Editorial revisions; Corrections & alterations

issues: Enharmonic corrections , Inaccurate note pitch in A