Both in this bar and in analogous bar 290 the sources clearly differ, as far as the slur in the L.H. is concerned. In the discussed bar, a slur appears only in FE (→EE), added almost certainly by Chopin (together with a staccato dot above E
and a slur in bar 143). In bar 290 A has a slur embracing three quavers in the 1st half of the bar (from d1), whereas GE (→FE→EE) – a whole-bar slur, the same as the one added here by Chopin. The slur could have also been added by Chopin and one could assume that such a compliance proves that in both places the slur constitutes Chopin's final decision. However, according to us, the situation is ambiguous:
- the only slur written undoubtedly with Chopin's hand (in bar 290 in A) starts on the 2nd quaver of the bar. It questions the accuracy of the reproduced slurs in the editions – in such figures, starting from a note placed much lower than the next, Chopin slurs, written with great flourish, were misinterpreted on a number of occasions; it is generally often difficult to interpret them unequivocally (cf. e.g. slurs of A and GE1 in bars 165-168). The doubt concerns particularly the slur added in bar 290 in GE1, since adjusting slurs to half- and whole-bar figures was a characteristic manner of the engraver of this edition. Therefore, it is quite likely that Chopin, while proofreading GE1, introduced a slur starting from the 2nd quaver and a similar inaccuracy can be considered also in the case of the slur added in FE in bar 142.
- the slur of GE1 in bar 290 could have not been corrected by Chopin at all – the engraver could have "interpreted" the slur of A in such way. According to us, it is Chopin's intervention that is more likely here (the Chopin slur from A or a half-bar slur would have been easier to engrave than a whole-bar slur); anyway, it would not have questioned the authenticity of the slur of FE.
- in similar contexts, Chopin would start slurs both from the first and second notes, independently from the fact whether the first note has a staccato sign or not.
Taking into account the above observations, in both bars we suggest both possibilities of starting the slur, while in bar 142 in the main text we give the source slur, from the 1st note, whereas in bar 290 – a slur from the 2nd note as compliant with the notation of A.
Compare the passage in the sources »
category imprint: Differences between sources
issues: Authentic corrections of FE
notation: Slurs
