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a-c |
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a |
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a-c |
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In both previous autographs it is the absence of a 
raising a to a
that draws attention. One can ponder whether Chopin heard a regular seventh chord d-f
-a-c in this bar from the beginning (and its repetitions – bar 18, 130 and 146) or whether originally he thought about an altered d-f-a-c chord. From the harmonic point of view, the second possibility would be absolutely possible, however, according to us, it is much more likely that Chopin overlooked sharps in the draft, considering a to be obvious in the face of f (cf., e.g., the Etude in A
major, Op. 10 No. 10, bar 13). Next, when writing AI, most probably on the basis of As, he did not pay attention to the absence of signs and only when preparing the Waltz for print, he controlled the notation of accidentals more accurately and added sharps. The following observations support this hypothesis:
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in AI there is no before a in the chord also in bar 14. Although an altered chord (with a) is not entirely excluded here, yet its use as an elided resolution of a typically prepared chord with a double suspended dominant in G minor seems to be highly unlikely. This, in turn, means that Chopin could have forgotten a sharp also in the discussed bar 2;
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the vicissitudes of Chopin chromatic notation are illustrated by the notation of the Mazurka in C minor, Op. 6 No. 2. The harmonic progression in bars 12-14 of the Mazurka almost exactly corresponds to bars 1-3 of the Waltz. In the draft in bar 13 there is no raising a to a. The sharps are also absent in three out of four appearances of this bar in the original (bars 13, 61 and 69). In spite of this, it is almost certain that Chopin thought about a from the very beginning – respective sharps appear in print in bar 29, in a pupil's copy in bar 69 (added), as well as in all places (out of which two are written out with notes) in an exceptionally carefully written presentation autograph. The autograph was created undoubtedly after the draft, most probably before the Stichvorlage, which almost guarantees that the absence of sharps in the remaining sources is an inaccuracy.
Compare the passage in the sources »
category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations
issues: Omission of current key accidentals
notation: Pitch