mUltimate Chopin

Op. 21, Concerto in F minor, Mvt II

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b. 90

composition: Op. 21, Concerto in F minor, Mvt II

No marking in A (→GE→FE→EE)

 in FED, possible reading

 in FED, different reading

8 in FED, alternative interpretation
..

An extensive, Chopin entry on the 1st beat of the bar is problematic to interpret. At first glance, it seems that the right-hand-side part of the entry is a letter 'p.' Depending on how we interpret the element that precedes the 'p,' we can receive either  or , or  – much more frequent for Chopin. The placement of a possible indication constitutes an equally difficult problem: the entry may be linked directly to the 3rd, 4th or 5th semiquaver of the bar. However, being aware of the Chopin inclination, revealing itself from time to time, to move indications to within the range of their validity, we also have to include a possibility that the indication shall refer to the beginning of the bar.

According to us, it also cannot be excluded that the introduced signs are +8, which would refer to E at the beginning of the bar. Such an enhancement of the bass in the culminant point of the ascending sequence of thirds seems to be quite justified. It would be a different implementation of an idea written in A, in which the bass octave appears a bar earlier. On the other hand, eights marking a bottom octave are always written under the note, which significantly reduces the authenticity of this interpretation.

Taking into account the above doubts, we do not include this entry in the main text; moreover, we place each of the possibilities in brackets.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Annotations in teaching copies , Annotations in FED

b. 93

composition: Op. 21, Concerto in F minor, Mvt II

No c2 in A (→GE)

c2 in chord in FE (→EE)
..

The c2 note, probably forgotten in A (→GE) – cf. bar 3 – was added by Chopin in the proofreading of FE (→EE).

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Authentic corrections of FE

b. 93-95

composition: Op. 21, Concerto in F minor, Mvt II

..

GE1 (→FE→EE) overlooked the indication Viol. in bars 93 and 95. The notation of A was restored in GE2.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Errors in GE , GE revisions

b. 93

composition: Op. 21, Concerto in F minor, Mvt II

..

In the main text we add cautionary flats before the b notes.

category imprint: Editorial revisions

b. 96

composition: Op. 21, Concerto in F minor, Mvt II

Pause in A (probable reading→GE→FE→EE)

Articulation sign in A (possible reading)
..

The sign concerning the 1st note in the bar has the form of a dash and a dot in A. The dash is not entirely straight, so that in GE (→FE→EE) the combination was interpreted as a fermata. We adopt this interpretation to the main text:

  • Chopin wrote a slightly similar flat sign of fermata in bar 6;
  • Chopin did not question such an interpretation both in the proofreading (GE1 and FE) and in the pupils' copies.

However, according to us, it cannot be excluded that Chopin meant here another combination of tenuto and staccato marks, as in bars 18 and 86.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness