mUltimate Chopin

Op. 64 No 1, Waltz in D♭ major

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Chopin's hesitations

b. 53-61

composition: Op. 64 No 1, Waltz in D♭ major

No grace notes in As

Grace notes from bar 56 in AI

Grace notes from bar 53 in AII & AIII

Grace notes from bar 54 in A (→FE→GE,EE)
..

The a2 grace notes, as diversification of this phrase, appeared in the notation of the Waltz already after As had been finished (or Chopin did not see the need of adding them to the sketch). The presentation autographs prove Chopin's hesitation concerning the moment of introducing this effect. Starting from AII, the notation of the ornaments was enhanced through the introduction of little slurs combining them with the main notes.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Chopin's hesitations

b. 62-68

composition: Op. 64 No 1, Waltz in D♭ major

As, 1st version

As, 2nd version

Later version
..

In these bars, AI continues a phrase which was shaped clearly differently than in the subsequent sources. At the same time, from bar 64 two versions are recorded, both deleted, out of which one is closer to the final version, particularly in terms of harmony. In the version editors we give, however, the second one, as from the notation of the sketch it results that it was written later than the first one. The version cannot be reasonably combined with the variants, concerning the pitch and rhythm, of the later version, e.g., in bars 66 and 67.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Chopin's hesitations

b. 66

composition: Op. 64 No 1, Waltz in D♭ major

Crotchet e in As, AI, AII & AIII

Rest in A (→FE→GE,EE)
..

In the previous sources, the bass note e was played also in this bar. In A one can see traces of several modifications of the accompaniment in this place, whereas the last deleted version included E at the beginning of the bar. The full version of As – see bars 62-69.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Chopin's hesitations

b. 67

composition: Op. 64 No 1, Waltz in D♭ major

A & c1-g1 in As & AIII

a-c1-g1 in AI

Crotchets a & c1-g1 in AII

Minim a & c1-g1 in A (→FE→GE,EE)
..

In this bar the accompaniment evolved through a few versions. Chopin started from the version of AIII, written in As as the first one. The next one was probably the second entirely different version of As (see bars 62-69), rejected – deleted – still at the stage of writing the sketch. In AI and AII two versions were tested, already very close to the one that was finally accepted in A and editions.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Chopin's hesitations

b. 69-94

composition: Op. 64 No 1, Waltz in D♭ major

..

In the previous autographs the reprise is marked in an abbreviated manner with Dal Segno or Dal Segno al fine (in As the return is indicated only with segno). At the same time, Chopin put it in different places, as both the eight-bar link (bars 69-76) and the beginning of the reprise have a different form in various sources:

  • in As there is no link at all, although the reprise begins with a trill in bars 77-78; the return leads to bar 3;
  • in AI the notation ends only in bar 80, after which one returns to bar 9;
  • in AII and AIII after bar 76 one returns to bar 5.

Due to the reasons discussed in the characterization of As, we write out the reprise in this autograph until the end of the text of this source in bar 108.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Chopin's hesitations , Abbreviated notation of A