mUltimate Chopin

Op. 11, Concerto in E minor, Mvt II

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Issues : EE revisions

b. 76-77

composition: Op. 11, Concerto in E minor, Mvt II

No slurs in FE (→GE1→GE2)

Slur in bar 76 in EE & GE3

Slurs suggested by the editors
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The missing slurs in FE seem to be an inadvertence (of Chopin or of the engraver), hence in the main text we suggest adding slurs after analogous or similar bars, e.g. bars 74-75. In bar 76, a slur was added already in EE and GE3. A similar situation in bar 78.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: EE revisions , GE revisions

b. 77

composition: Op. 11, Concerto in E minor, Mvt II

c1 in FE, probable interpretation

c1 in FE (possible interpretation→GE,EE)
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In FE, there is one mark before the 7th quaver, a  at the pitch of b, so it is unclear whether it concerns the bottom note of the third (resulting in a) or the top one (resulting in c1). In the orchestra, the chord features c1 in the viola part, both in MFrorch and FEorch. Two possibilities arise:

  1. FE do not contain a manifest error, it is only the  raising a to a (necessary) that was put a little bit too high; it leads to the version with c1 (the  from the 1st half of the bar is valid), in which the c1 note in violas is of a replaceable character. When reading FE, this version is a natural choice and this is how this place was interpreted in GE (however, adding a  in the viola part) and EE. It cannot be excluded that it was performed in such a way by Chopin's pupils during lessons, hence the absence of corrections in the pupils' copies may point to c1.
  2. According to Chopin's intention, the sharp in FE was meant to restore c1, whereas the alteration of a to a, obvious with regard to the sharps in the R.H., was overlooked. Undoubtedly, c1 in violas definitely supports this version, since the use of a chord element is highly likely in such orchestral accompaniment. The pedalling also seems to favour this possibility, since a pedal release (or change) before the 4th crotchet in the bar in the version with c1 would not be necessary (cf. the authentic pedalling in a similar harmonic context in the Fantaisie in F minor, op. 49, bar 18).

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Errors in FE , Inaccuracies in FE , GE revisions

b. 78

composition: Op. 11, Concerto in E minor, Mvt II

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There are no accidentals before the penultimate octave in FE (→GE). However, since in those editions (except for GE3) the first half of the bar is written using an octave sign, one can consider the sharps before the 1st octave in the bar to be valid. In GE3, the notation does not feature an octave sign (like in our transcriptions), hence the missing accidentals are a manifest error. In EE, sharps were added before this octave; they were added also in FED.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Annotations in teaching copies , EE revisions , Annotations in FED , Accidentals in different octaves , Errors in GE

b. 79

composition: Op. 11, Concerto in E minor, Mvt II

No fingering in FE (→GE)

Fingering in EE
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The finger replacement on d presented in EE reflects rather Fontana's than Chopin's preferences – the slurring suggests a hand transfer and not a finger replacement delaying the target, wide hand position. Cf. the authentic fingering of a similar figure in bar 38.  

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions

b. 86

composition: Op. 11, Concerto in E minor, Mvt II

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The sources differ in the notation of the accidentals in the 2nd half of the bar; however, none of them includes a manifest error. In relation to the notation adopted in the main text (note number in brackets):

  • in FE (→EE1), there is no  before e2 (1) or a  before a2 (6), in turn, there is a  before c2 (11);
  • in GE1 (→GE2) and EE2 (→EE3), there is no  before e2 (1), but there is a  before c2 (11);
  • in GE3, there is no  before f2 (10).

Above all, the differences result from different conventions of validity of the marks next to the notes that are included or not included by an octave sign.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Accidentals in different octaves , Inaccuracies in FE , GE revisions