b. 485

 

 

In A it is not obvious whether the 1st and 4th quavers include a3 and a2. In similar situations, the presence of a middle note on a ledger line may be very difficult to determine in Chopin's autographs. However, both the harmonic progression and the piano grip suggest that in this culminant moment () both quavers should be thirds, like in two subsequent bars. This assumption is confirmed by a detailed analysis of the notation of A, in particular in the case of the 4th quaver of the bar, in which one can see bold in the place where the stem overlaps with the ledger line, but it is not related to the notation of either of them (it is even less clear in the case of the 1st quaver). Therefore, it cannot be surprising that both the engraver of GE1 and the reviser of GE2 did not include these notes. The fact that both notes were added in the proofreading of FE (→EE) dissipates all doubts regarding Chopin's intention.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Authentic corrections of FE, Uncertain notes on ledger lines, Inaccuracies in A

notation: Pitch

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