b. 1

No title nor dedication in A

Scherzo à Mademoiselle la Comtesse Adèle de Fürstenstein in FC (→GE)

Scherzo à Mademoiselle Adèle de Fürstenstein in FE

La Méditation. Scherzo à Mademoiselle Adèle Fürstenstein in EE1 (→EE2)

Second Scherzo in EE3

A is devoid of both the title and dedication. The pencilled addition at the top of the 1st page, 'F Chopin op 31 Scherzo,' probably comes from one of the subsequent owners of the manuscript, Thomas Tellefsen or Charles Malherbe. The latter seems to be more likely; he was not associated with Chopin, yet he was a keen manuscript collector concerning both music and, e.g. letters; in his vast collection, A devoid of the title page, could have needed such an identification.

In the main text we give the title and dedication as written by Chopin's hand on the title page of FC (→GE). FE (→EE1EE2) omitted the title of nobility of the dedication's addressee; there are also a few mistakes in her name and surname:

  • in the name Adèle in EE1 (→EE2) the accent over 'e' was overlooked; the preposition 'de' is also missing in those editions,
  • in the surname Fürstenstein FE (→EE1EE2) overlooked the umlaut over 'u,' while EE also overlooked the second 's.'

Moreover, in EE1 (→EE2) the authentic title was preceded with the 'romantic' addition 'La Méditation,' omitted in EE3, perhaps due to numerous objections to Wessel's adding such titles expressed by Chopin – see the Nocturne in C Minor, Op. 27 No. 1, bar 1. EE3 also removed the dedication, yet it was noted that it was Chopin's second Scherzo. 

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions, Errors in FE, Dedications, Errors in EE, Authentic corrections of FC

notation: Verbal indications

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