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Op. 25 No 11, Etude in A minor

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b. 54

composition: Op. 25 No 11, Etude in A minor

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In the main text we remove the unnecessary  before the 2nd semiquaver, b1, present in all sources.

category imprint: Editorial revisions

issues: Cautionary accidentals

b. 57

composition: Op. 25 No 11, Etude in A minor

g3-d3 in GC (→GE1)

g2-d2 in FE, EE & GE2 (→GE3)
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The version of GC (→GE1) is certainly erroneous – in this bar Chopin embraced only four semiquavers with the octave sign, differently than in similar bars, which most probably confused the copyist.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: GE revisions , Errors of GC

b. 57

composition: Op. 25 No 11, Etude in A minor

f in GC (→GE1), FE & EE

f with  in GE2 (→GE3)

f  suggested by the editors
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Chopin's oversight of the sharps raising f to f is supported by the following arguments:

  • in all similarly structured bars – e.g. bars 9-12, 17-18 and analog. – subsequent odd semiquavers create pairs made of delay and resolution, separated with an interval of minor or major second; f notes would have broken this rule;
  • introduction of a chord with a minor f ninth already in bar 57 would have unnecessarily anticipated the appearance of this chords in bar 59;
  • this type of oversights of accidentals are quite frequent in Chopin's works (cf., e.g., the notes to bars 11 and 75 and 46 of this etude, as well as to the Etude in G minor, Op. 25 No. 6, bars 7-8).

GE2 (→GE3) added cautionary naturals before these notes.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals

b. 58

composition: Op. 25 No 11, Etude in A minor

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Before the 5th semiquaver there is no  in GC and FE. This patent inaccuracy of Chopin was corrected in GE. EE also includes the correct text. 

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Accidentals in different octaves , Inaccuracies in FE , GE revisions , Inaccuracies in GC

b. 59

composition: Op. 25 No 11, Etude in A minor

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In the sources – except for GE2 (→GE3) – there are no accidentals before the c2 and c3 notes (in bar 60). One can wonder whether it is an inaccuracy, so frequently encountered in Chopin's notation, consisting in omission of accidentals at repetitions of figurations in different octaves – in this case sharps raising these notes to c2 and c3. According to us, while c1 still refers to the A major key, prevailing in the two previous bars, bars 59-60, based on the E9> chord, are already maintained in the A minor key, which would make the use of c2 and c3 notes obvious. We are dealing with a similar situation in Barcarolle, Op. 60, bar 110, where at the beginning of the turn, Chopin used c1 among the notes surrounding the e-b-d chord, yet further he used already c2, c3 and c4. 

category imprint: Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: GE revisions