mUltimate Chopin

Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor

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b. 310-333

composition: Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor

6 longer, 6 shorter slurs in A

2 longer, 9 shorter slurs in FC

10 longer slurs in FE

3 longer, 9 shorter slurs in GE1

9 longer slurs in EE

12 shorter slurs in GE2 (→GE3)

12 longer slurs suggested by the editors
..

The slurs over the motifs of the bottom voice in A are of different length: they encompass the quavers only or reach the minim in the next bar. On many occasions, it is difficult or even impossible to say conclusively which of the slurs Chopin meant. Since there is no visible reason for those actually identical motifs to have different slurs, in the main text we unify them, assuming the six-note slurs to be more frequent in A. None of the remaining sources reproduced Chopin's notation accurately; the differences in FC and FE are exclusively of an accidental nature, whereas GE1, EE and GE2 (→GE3) also introduced arbitrary changes, ordering the notation.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: EE revisions , Errors in FE , Inaccuracies in GE , Inaccuracies in FE , Inaccurate slurs in A , GE revisions , Errors of FC , Inaccuracies in FC

b. 310-311

composition: Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor

e2 tied in A (→FC), EE & GE2 (→GE3)

e2 repeated in FE & GE1
..

The missing tie of e2 must be mistakes of FE and GE1, corrected in EE and GE2 (→GE3) respectively.

category imprint: Differences between sources

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

b. 311-333

composition: Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor

3 long, 8 short accents in A

11 short accents in FC (→GE1) & FE (→EE)

12 short accents in GE2 (→GE3)
..

The accents, written in A in b. 311, 313 and analog., have almost certainly the same meaning despite the differences – generally minor ones – in length and shape. The majority of the marks are rather short; however, a few (b. 311, 317 & 333) may be considered long. Four undoubtedly long accents appear also in the repetition of this section (b. 417, 425, 433 & 435), which makes us place in the main text long accents only. At the same time, we add the accent in b. 331, overlooked by Chopin. We consider the version of GE2 (→GE3) with a set of short accents to be an alternative solution.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: Long accents

b. 316

composition: Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor

..

In the main text we add a cautionary  before d2. The mark was added already in GE; it was also added in pencil in FESf.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

issues: GE revisions

b. 318-325

composition: Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor

a2 & f2 tied in A (→FC→GE) & EE

a2 & f2 repeated in FE
..

The omission of the ties of a2 in b. 318-319 and of f2 in b. 324-325 in FE may be a result of misinterpretation of Chopinesque very short ties as endings of motivic slurs over the bottom voice motifs: see b. 310-323. The ties were added in EE.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Errors in FE