mUltimate Chopin

Op. 25 No 1, Etude in A♭ major

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b. 26

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

 in AI

No accidental in A (→CDP,GE), FE & EE
..

The cautionary  before a, written only in AI, is undoubtedly recommendable when choosing the version with A and a1 in the previous bar.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Cautionary accidentals

b. 28

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

e1-e1-f1-e1 in AI (contextual interpretation)

4 times d in A (→CDP,GE), FE & EE
..

The version of AI, in which the melodic line is doubled one octave lower by the lowest notes of the figuration in the R.H. is earlier and it was changed by Chopin at the stage of preparing the piece for print.
The notation of the original version includes an error on the 4th beat of the bar – not cancelled naturals from the 1st half of the bar raise e2(1) to e2(1) also here; in this version, the combination with the next bar is unacceptable.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Omissions to cancel alteration

b. 29

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

15 notes in AI

14 notes in A (→CDP,GE), FE & EE
..

The version of AI is earlier and abandoned by Chopin, however, it perfectly illustrates three issues Chopin took into account at the time of works on the finishing of the Etude: the number of figures in the L.H., details of the arrangement of the spread out chords creating the figuration, notation of small and big notes. It is also the fact of marking the five-note figures as pentuplets, not appearing in the final version, that draws attention.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

b. 30

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

..

The pencilled corrections visible in AI prove that originally, the 2nd half of this bar was identical as in bar 26.

category imprint: Corrections & alterations; Source & stylistic information

issues: Accompaniment changes , Main-line changes

b. 32-33

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

f1-g1-f1-f1 in AI

e1-e1-e1-d1 in A (→CDP,GE), FE & EE
..

In the original version, written in AI, the bottom notes of the figuration in the R.H. doubled the melodic line – (e1)-f1-g1-f1-f1. In A, Chopin deleted four of them, writing the version which was eventually included in all editions. He performed a respective change – from c1 to f1 – also on the 3rd semiquaver from the end in the L.H. (f1 in the L.H. at the beginning of bar 33 is already written correctly). Cf. notes to bar 28 and 33-34.

In GE1 (→GE2), the 4th semiquaver in bar 33 is an f1 instead of d1. This patent error in this context was corrected in GE3 (→#GE4). 

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

issues: Errors in GE , Terzverschreibung error , GE revisions , Deletions in A , Accompaniment changes