FC
Main text
A - Autograph
FC - Fontana's copy
FE - French edition
FE1 - First French edition
FED - Dubois copy
FES - Stirling copy
FESf - Schiffmacher copy
GE - German edition
GE1 - First German edition
GE2 - Second German edition
GE3 - Corrected impression of GE2
EE - English edition
EE1 - First English edition
EE2 - Revised impression of EE1
EE3 - Corrected impression of EE2
compare
  b. 265-267

c1 repeated, f tied in A (→FCGE)

c1 tied, f repeated in FE (→EE)

c1 & f tied in FESf

The curved lines of FE (→EE) in b. 265-266, both the tie of c1 and the two slurs – see the adjacent note – are most probably erroneous:

  • whenever Chopin wanted to sustain the c1 note in this motif – in b. 285, 289, 387 & 391 – he would emphasise each one with a long accent, ensuring its good audibility 2 bars later, when it becomes the starting point for the motif of the middle voice. Had he wanted to introduce this version already here, for the first time, he would not have hesitated to add an accent.
  • an additional – in addition to the top phrase mark – emphasis of the combination of e-e1 with f-f1 does not seem to be necessary and was not repeated in any of the analogous places.

According to us, all three curved lines between these bars were printed erroneously instead of three ties in b. 266-267 – such a 'mirror' mistake would be frequently committed in various pieces by Chopin, e.g. in the Etude in C Minor, Op. 25 No. 7, b. 23 or in the Concerto in E Minor, Op. 11, II mov., b. 41. Two of the overlooked ties were then added (except for the tie of f), yet the erroneous curved lines were left untouched due to carelessness or calculation – they were considered not harmful enough to be removed. Such 'partial' corrections are also well documented, e.g. in the Ballade in F Major, Op. 38, b. 179, or in the Concerto in F Minor, Op. 21, III mov., b. 282. The omitted tie of f is another mistake of FE (→EE), which is proven by the presence of a corresponding tie in A (→FCGE), not to mention seven analogous places where the note is tied. A corresponding tie was added in pencil in FESf.

Compare the passage in the sources »

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Errors in FE, Sign reversal, Partial corrections

notation: Rhythm

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