mUltimate Chopin

Op. 25 No 1, Etude in A♭ major

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Scope of dynamic hairpins

b. 15

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

No sign in AI & CDP

 in A & FE

 in GE

 in EE
..

An accurate determination of the range of  hairpins in A is impeded by different length of the sign's arms and inaccurately aligned first figures in the left and right hands. We assume that the sign is graphically correlated to the 3rd and 15th semiquavers, belonging to a secondary melodic motif.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Inaccuracies in GE , Scope of dynamic hairpins , GE revisions , Unclear hairpins in A

b. 15

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

No sign in AI & CDP

Long accent in A, literal reading

 in A (contextual interpretation →GE1→GE1a)

 in FE

 in EE & GE2 (→GE3)
..

The sign in A may be considered as a long accent, yet according to us, it is much more likely that Chopin had diminuendo hairpins in mind, closing the dynamic wave in this bar.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Long accents , Scope of dynamic hairpins , GE revisions

b. 17

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

Long accent in AI

  in A (→GE1→GE1a)

  in FE

  in EE

  in GE2 (→GE3)
..

In all sources related to the publication process of the Etude (A and editions), the bar is provided with a pair of dynamic hairpins. However, the sources or their groups differ quite significantly, as far as the range of the signs is concerned. In the main text, we give the signs of FE, showing similarity to the indications in analogous bar 19. Chopin could have written such hairpins in the base text to FE or added while proofreading this edition. GE2 (→GE3) also include a similar version, probably revised on the basis of comparison with bar 19.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Scope of dynamic hairpins

b. 18

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

 in AI

 in A (→GE) & FE

 in EE
..

In the main text we give the  hairpins, filling the entire bar, appearing in a compatible manner in A (→GE) and FE.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Scope of dynamic hairpins

b. 20

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

No sign in CDP

 in AI

 in A (→GE)

 in FE

 in EE
..

In the main text we give the whole-bar  hairpins, analogously to the ones adopted in bar 18, on the basis of A (→GE). In the remaining sources the sign is slightly shorter.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Scope of dynamic hairpins