mUltimate Chopin

Op. 25 No 1, Etude in A♭ major

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b. 42

composition: Op. 25 No 1, Etude in A♭ major

..

Same as in bars 26-27, two slurs, each embracing 6 notes, in the R.H. visible in CDP, were almost certainly added by the copyist as a part of an abbreviated indication in this bar.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

b. 42-43

composition: Op. 25 No 1, Etude in A♭ major

in AI

in A (→GE), FE & EE

No indication in CDP
..

The ritenuto indication, written in AI, is certainly earlier than smorzando, which Chopin chose at the time of writing A. Minor deviations in the placement of the indication visible in FE and EE were probably created randomly and they do not influence the meaning of the indication. 

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

b. 43-44

composition: Op. 25 No 1, Etude in A♭ major

No slur in AI, CDP, GE, FE & EE

Slur (tie?) in A
..

It is not certain whether the small slur, visible in A from the last a in bar 43 to the beginning of bar 44, was supposed, in Chopin's intention, to be a part of the notation of the Etude. The a semiquaver, deleted at the beginning of bar 44, suggests that it could have been, e.g., a tie, which Chopin rejected but either forgot to delete or considered that it is not visible enough to be included (in fact, it was not repeated in any of the preserved sources). We give this small slur in the main text, leaving its interpretation and a possible inclusion at the discretion of the performer.    

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

b. 43-46

composition: Op. 25 No 1, Etude in A♭ major

Three slurs in AI (literal reading in bars 44-46)

Two slurs in AI (contextual interpretation), A (→GE) & EE

One slur in FE
..

In bar 43 the slurs of AI and A are certainly inaccurate – the shortening is related to the use of •/• signs in AI and the correction-deletion in A.

The slurs over the passages in bars 44-47 appear in AI only at the beginning and end of this section. Both slurs appear to be fragmentary, so it seems that Chopin marked the beginning and the end of one slur in such a way. The reason for this incomplete notation could have been the octave sign, impeding a clear introduction of the middle part of the slur (a similar situation is to be found in the Etude in E major, Op. 10 No. 11, bars 40-42). The issue of the slur's ending in bar 47 is discussed separately.

The authenticity of the unbroken slur of FE seems to be highly unlikely. Lack of division is probably a result of misunderstanding at the time of reading the slurs of the handwritten base text.

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

issues: Inaccurate slurs in A , Errors resulting from corrections

b. 44-48

composition: Op. 25 No 1, Etude in A♭ major

..

In EE there is no marking of the pedal embracing the final passages of the Etude, which is certainly an oversight.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Errors in EE