It is unclear how the version of the editions arose. A few scenarios are possible, out of which we present two most realistic. We discuss only the slurs in the R.H., since the action of doubling slurs in the part of the L.H. could have been independent from possible Chopin changes to the slurring of the R.H.:
- Chopin added a short slur in bar 66. According to us, it is a less likely possibility – if Chopin had had an interest in emphasising the 1st note of this bar, he would have added an accent, as in all analogous places;
- Chopin added a long slur (compatible with A) while proofreading the initially misprinted slurring – a slur only in bar 66 or two slurs, separated with a bar line. According to us, it is the most likely possibility. The fact of leaving the short slur in bar 66 can be explained by the composer's reluctance to overcomplicate the proofreading (Chopin considered it to be "innocuous") or by inaccuracy of the engraver.
Therefore, in the main text we leave the notation of A, considering the version of the editions as a variant of a less likely authenticity.
category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources
issues: GE revisions, Authentic corrections of GE
notation: Slurs
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