In A, in the entire section (b. 492-515) Chopin provides the ostinato motifs of the R.H. bottom (middle) voice with two types of slurs, i.e. encompassing the quavers only or reaching the minim that ends the motif. However, differently than in b. 310-333 and 412-435, based on the same thematic material, the development character of this fragment – modulations, agitato, increasing dynamics – makes the homogeneous slurring one of the reasonable options, and not the only one, although it still seems to be logical. Keeping differentiated slurs is also encouraged by a simple rule according to which they are grouped: longer slurs appear only just in the last motifs, certainly three and probably four, i.e. in b. 508-509 (unclear slur), 510-511, 512-513 and 514-515.
In the remaining sources we do not find traces of Chopin's intervention in the range of the discussed slurs:
- in FC the slur in b. 512-513 was overlooked, while the slurs in b. 508-509 and 514-515, which we classify as 5-note long, are written inaccurately;
- FE reproduced the slurring of A almost unchanged, with just one difference with respect to our interpretation – the slur in b. 508 is led to the e
2 minim in b. 509. This version was then reproduced in EE with one change in b. 504-505; - GE1 repeated the version of FC, adding the overlooked slur in b. 512 (with mistake). GE2 (→GE3) unified the slurs so that each one encompasses quavers only.
In such a situation, in the main text we reproduce the notation of A, assuming that the slur from b. 508 reaches e2 in b. 509. The fact that A includes a few undoubtedly 6-note-long slurs together with the argumentation indicated in b. 310-333 make us suggest an alternative solution with longer slurs only.
Compare the passage in the sources »
category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources; Editorial revisions
issues: Inaccurate slurs in A, EE inaccuracies, Uncertain slur continuation
notation: Slurs
