Op. 11, Concerto in E minor, Mvt I

FE1 included the Concerto in the version for one piano and optional orchestral parts, sold separately. Both the present characterization and all detailed notes refer to – with a very few exceptions – the version for one piano that comprises the solo piano part and authentic piano reductions of the orchestral parts (Tutti). The orchestral parts – FEorch – may be consulted under, e.g. the Chopin's First Editions Online website (cfeo).

Initially, FE1 is based on Atut (bars 1-138) and in the further part, not included in that autograph, on [A]. Visible traces of corrections performed in print, out of which some were included in GE1 and some not, prove that there were at least two proofreading stages of FE1 (copies including the corrections of the first stage are denoted by [FE0]). The preserved correspondence between the publishers, Schlesinger and Kistner, states that it was a proofreading of a comprehensive nature and that Chopin took the main part in it. Those statements are directly confirmed in the proofreading of the Etudes Op. 10, which are better documented, as far as the sources are confirmed (e.g. a copy of the Etude in A Minor, Op. 10 No. 2 with a very detailed proofreading of Chopin is preserved), since the work on the Etudes and on the Concerto ran parallelly to a significant extent. Examples of changes performed at particular stages of proofreading:

• 1.  Changes introduced in [FE0], included in GE1:
  • added metronome marking at the beginning of the movement,
  • changed and added notes in the chords in bars 39-40 and 42,
  • changes to the slurring in bars 78-79 and 82-83 as well as 291-294 and analog.
  • changes of rhythm in bar 197, 199 and 201,
  • simplified notation of coinciding voices on the bass note in bar 257 and subsequent,
  • change of the melody's shape in bar 314.
• 2.  Probable later changes, not included in GE1:
  • dotted rhythm introduced at the end of bar 222,
  • added slurs for the bass voice in bars 261-264,
  • added  lowering g to g in bar 272.

In spite of a few-stage proofreading, FE1 is not free from various mistakes and inaccuracies. Some of them were repeated after Stichvorlage (Atut or [A], although in the case of [A], this is only conjecture), e.g.:

• patent omissions of accidentals, e.g. in bar 36, 83, 291-294 and 307-310, 408-409,
• no  raising c³ to c³ in bar 190, d¹ to d¹ in bar 221.

Other mistakes and oversights are certainly or most probably a result of the engraver's inattention, e.g.:

• missing following elements: accent in bar 8, dynamic hairpin in bar 24 and 127, slur in bars 31-32,  in bar 39, dots and slur in bars 56-57,
• no  raising d¹ to d¹ in bar 138,
• semiquavers instead of demisemiquavers in bar 149 and 402,
• rhythmic and most probably pitch mistakes in bar 162,
• incompletely marked pedalling in bar 249 and 252,
• erroneous notes in bar 308, 326, 364, 378, 

FE1 serves as the principal source for the edition of the Concerto.