Op. 21, Concerto in F minor, Mvt I

FE1 encompassed the Concerto in a version for solo piano and orchestral parts sold optionally. The present characterization, as well as all the detailed notes, pertain, with only few exceptions, to the version for one piano, consisting of the solo piano part and the authentic piano reductions of the orchestra sections (Tutti).

FE1 was based on a proof copy of GE1 prior to the latest amendments. Possible examples of such situations are e.g. differences in slurring in bar 167 and 329 or missing staccato dots in bars 169-170.

Chopin certainly corrected FE1, which, however, does not mean that each accurate change of the version of GE1 has to be attributed to his intervention – e.g. printing the first Tutti in a smaller font certainly was not a result of amending a proof, whereas minor, evident corrections of notation of accidentals could have been a work of revision. Unquestionable and possible Chopin corrections include, i.a.:

• restoring staccato dots in bar 90,
• adding ties in bar 98 and 106-107,
• adding slurs in bar 105 and 107,
• removing c¹ from the chord in bar 109,
• sustaining f in bars 110-111,
• adding fingering in bar 111, 233-237,
• sustaining e in bar 135
• adding a slur, pedalling and a sempre legato marking in bar 138,
• adding articulation markings in the L.H. in bar 141, 142-143 and 144,
• changing  to  in bars 151 and 155,
• changing the note in the top voice in bars 165 and 168,
• adding flats restoring e in bars 169-170 and a in bars 319-320,
• extending the slur in bar 171,
• embracing the octave in the R.H. ending the exposition with an octave sign (bar 181)
• adding e¹ in bar 187,
• changing dynamics in bars 190-197,
• adding a slur in bar 260,
• adding an e¹ and correcting the notation of the arpeggio in bar 272,
• adding changes of clefs in bars 299-300,
• adding six accidentals in bars 322-324,
• adding dynamic markings in bar 335, 337 and 341,
• adding a  in bar 335,
• adding an a in bar 344 and f in bar 348.

In spite of a thorough proofreading, FE1 contains a large number of mistakes concerning the pitch, accidentals, etc., e.g.:

• erroneous value of the rest in bar 85,
• some major mistakes in bar 139,
• b instead of a in bar 178,
• 8^{- - -} instead of the trill in bar 179,
• erroneously placed grace note in bar 208,
• omission of agogic markings in bars 224-225,
• f instead of d in bar 233,
• c² instead of e² in bar 243,
•  instead of  in bar 249,
• d instead of f in bar 285 and 330,
•  instead of  in bar 286,
• g instead of a in bar 287,
•  instead of  in bar 298,
• f¹-b¹ instead of d¹-g¹ in bar 300,
• change of bottom notes of the chords in bars 346-347.

In addition, there are numerous inaccuracies in recreation of accents, particularly long (e.g. in bars 99, 234), slurs (e.g. in bars 115-116) or dynamic hairpins (e.g. in bar 217).

Some of the mistakes repeated after GE1 remained uncorrected in FE1 – all mentioned in the characterization of A and the mistakes mentioned in the characterization of GE1 in bars 29, 46, 71-72 and 179, 84, 121 i 283, 142, 143, 174; moreover, e.g. slurs in bars 1-3, 174, no staccato marks in bars 174 and 175, mistakes in bar 185.