The fifth note counting from the end of bar 51 and the third note of bar 52 have naturals in A. This means that the note from bar 51 should be read as c3, and the note from bar 52 – and 7 further notes of the same pitch – as c4. However, due to the presence of c
1 in the accompaniment, this version is totally improbable from the musical point of view.
A closer analysis of those signs allows one to draw the following conclusions:
- both naturals are written differently than all the other naturals in the neighbouring fragments;
in bar 52 was superimposed on the flat sign previously put there.
This allows us to conclude that both signs were most probably added by a foreign hand, perhaps the person who reviewed GE1. In that edition both signs were initially engraved (cf. bar 55), but were later changed to flats in proofing, maybe even on Chopin's request.
Therefore, we ultimately consider the version with 
before the 3rd note in bar 52 to be Chopin's version of A and we supplement that version by adding the omitted in bar 51. The correctness of the version with two flats (c3 and c4) is confirmed beyond doubt both by the consistent text of all the editions (including FE corrected by the composer) and lack of any changes in copies with authentic additions in pencil.
Compare the passage in the sources »
category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources
issues: Foreign hand additions in manuscripts
notation: Pitch
