Main text
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. 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. 

Compare the passage in the sources »

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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