mUltimate Chopin

Op. 25 No 11, Etude in A minor

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Omission of current key accidentals

b. 11

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

..

In the 2nd half of the bar, the only accidental in the part of the R.H. in GC, FE and EE1 is a  raising d3 to d3. The notation, although inaccurate, determines also the sound of the 6th and 10th semiquavers in the 2nd half of the bar as d2 and d1. In turn, nothing indicates raising the 3rd, 7th and 11th semiquavers, which, in this situation, should read f3, f2 and f1. This version, however, is impossible in this melodic and harmonic context – the use of g as delay of the fifth of the B7 chord requires f (possibly f) as resolution. The sharps raising the discussed notes to f3, f2 and f1 were added in GE and later EE (in EE2 without  before the 11th semiquaver). Cf. bar 75.

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

issues: EE revisions , Errors in FE , Errors in EE , GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals , Errors of GC

b. 12

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

..

In GC and FE there is no  raising g1 to g1. This patent oversight was corrected in GE and EE. Similarly in bar 76.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Errors in FE , GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals , Errors of GC

b. 27-30

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

..

In the passages including a few octaves, there are no accidentals in the sources, which, however, does not raise doubts concerning the text intended by Chopin.

In GC there are no sharps needed in the notation of f1, f2 in bar 27, f, f1, f2 in bar 28, f2, f1 (L.H.), c1 in bar 29 and f, d2 in bar 30.
In FE the same signs apart from the sharps before f1 in bar 27 and f1 (L.H.) in bar 29 were omitted; moreover, the  raising d2 to d2 in bar 29 was overlooked.
GE1 completed the signs overlooked in GC except for the  raising f1 to f1 in the L.H. in bar 29.
In the remaining editions – EE and GE2 (→GE3) – all necessary signs were added.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Errors in FE , GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals , Errors of GC

b. 46

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

a2 in GC (→GE1) & FE (routine interpretation), EE & GE2 (→GE3)

a2 in GC (→GE1) & FE (contextual interpretation)
..

Before the 5th, 15th, 19th and 23rd semiquaver in GC (→GE1) and FE there is no accidental, so all of them should be interpreted as a2. In the 2nd half of the bar it is certainly erroneous, which induced the reviser of GE2 (→GE3) to consider the whole bar as an example of overlooking the sign of the current key and adding a  already next to the first of the aforementioned notes. A flat in this place is present also in EE, which could generally correspond to Chopin's notation in the base text to this edition. According to us, it is, however, more likely that in EE we are also dealing with an intervention of the reviser:

  • in a similar melodic turn in bar 48 the 5th semiquaver is an e2, moreover, in the sources there is no  returning e2 in the 2nd half of the bar;
  • Chopin undoubtedly heard a2 only in the 2nd half of the bar, where it is obvious due to A in the bass. Therefore, the first half of the bar could have been written faultlessly, although in a confusing manner, if we take into consideration the A major key, reaffirmed in the previous bar.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals

b. 47

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

g in GC (→GE) & EE3

No g in FE & EE1 (→EE2)
..

The g crotchet, which in this context has to be, of course, interpreted as g (a relevant  was added in GE), was added by Chopin in GC (→GE). We adopt this version to the main text, removing the unnecessary in this situation  before the last semiquaver of the bar. Through GE, the completed version was transmitted to EE3. 

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

issues: Omission of current key accidentals , Authentic corrections in GC