mUltimate Chopin

Op. 64 No 1, Waltz in D♭ major

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Chopin's hesitations

b. 13-14

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

Minim & quavers in As

Quavers in AI & A (→FE→GE,EE)

Triplet & quavers in AII & AIII
..

The earlier autographs prove Chopin's ongoing quest concerning the smartest and most suggestive formula for the idea of a thread unfolding from a spinning ball. The idea – according to the testimony of Wilhelm von Lenz* – was suggested to the pupils by Chopin himself, using the words "it should be unfolding as [a thread] from a ball". Only in the final version, the melody, both in bars 5-7 and 13-15, has a homogeneous, smoothly "unfolding" form, without less or more evident sustentions (as it is in As and AI) or references to the initial phase of creation of an ostinato, spinning figure (as it is in AII and AIII).

* W. von Lenz, Uebersichtliche Beurtheilung der Pianoforte-Kompositionen von Chopin [...], "Neue Berliner Musikzeitung" 18 IX 1872.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Chopin's hesitations , Main-line changes

b. 21-23

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

L.H. minims in As, AI, AII & AIII

Crotchets in A (→FE→GE1op,GE1Db,EE)

Crotchets &  e1 in GE2op (→#GE3op) & EEW1 (→EEW2)
..

Already in As, Chopin wrote two versions of accompaniment in these bars and in bar 24, however, it is not clear how he planned to use them. Eventually, in all later sources they were used to diversify the repeating figures through differentiation of the part of the L.H. in bars 21-24 and 29-32. The presentation autographs and the published version differ, however, in the order of appearance of both versions – apart from minor details, AI, AII and AIII first include the "tenor" version, which in A (→FE→GE,EE) appears only as the second.
In order to preserve the continuity of the bass line after a possible version change, in the context of this note, one has to choose one of the corresponding variants in bars bar 20 and bar 24.

In the main text we add a cautionary  before e1 in bar 21, after the authentic sign before g1 in bar 23.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Chopin's hesitations , Accompaniment changes

b. 21-24

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

..

In the version with the bass line, led with minims in the tenor register, Chopin wrote rests for the top voice of the L.H. (over the minims) only in one of the autographs – AII.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Chopin's hesitations

b. 21-23

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

..

Chopin did not pay special attention to cautionary flats before the e1 and g1 notes in bars 21 and 23. The first was written only in AIII, it was also added in GE2op (→#GE3op) and EEW1 (→EEW2). The second is present in the majority of the sources – it was overlooked only in AII and GE2Db (→GE3Db→GE4Db).

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: EE revisions , Chopin's hesitations , Errors in GE , GE revisions , Cautionary accidentals

b. 24

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

Minim d1 & 2 crotchets in As

Crotchet d1 & 2 crotchets in AI

Minim d1 & crotchet in AII

Crotchet d1 & crotchet in AIII

Crotchet d & sixth in A (→FE→GE,EE)

Crotchet d, sixth & chord in As, alternative version, probable interpretation

Crotchet d & 2 sixths in As, alternative version, possible interpretation

Crotchet d, sixth & crotchet d in As, another alternative version
..

The bar has a different form in each of the previous autographs. The differences concern the rhythmic value of the first d1 and the crotchet – or its absence – on the 3rd beat of the bar. The given variants (the first four) cannot be combined with the main text in the note to bars 21-24, i.e. the version of these bars included in A (→FE→GE,EE). In turn, the last four variants given here apply to that version – the main text (conveyed by A and the editions) and alternative versions written in the first scheme of As (see the next note). On the other hand, the variants cannot be combined with the version of bars 21-24 included in the previous autographs.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Chopin's hesitations , Accompaniment changes