Op. 31, Scherzo in B♭ minor

We give the year 1858 as a possible release date of GE2 on the basis of chronology of editorial numbers*. That version of the edition was probably available until mid 1860s, i.e. when the Chopinesque B&H publications were subjected to revision by revising subsequent impressions or by preparing new editions, including most probably GE3, hence a corrected version of GE2 (in 1865-1866, it was also the score of the Concerto in F Minor, Op. 21 that was published for the first time).

GE2 carefully revised the text of GE1; the notation was once again compared with FC, yet a number of arbitrary changes was also introduced. The process of ordering the notation of accidentals, initiated in GE1, was continued. Moreover, a few patent mistakes were corrected, e.g. in b. 1 or 493.

Among the corrections introduced on the basis of FC one can mention:

• removal of the additional L.H. slurs in b. 1-3 and analog. (yet similar remaining additions mentioned in the characterization of GE1 were left), removal of the additional slur in b. 114-115;
• change of d³ instead of c³ in b. 8 or e to d in b. 273;
• addition of dashes marking the range of a performance indication, e.g. in b. 72-80 and 204-212, 241-245 or 725-731;
• addition of a  in b. 98,
• restoration of  in place of  in b. 154 and 358.

Analogous and similar places were unified:

• the length of the  or  hairpins in b. 6-7 and analog., 239-240 were changed;
• the pedalling in b. 18-22, 225-226, 235-236, 452-453 and 456-457, 730-731 was modified as well as the performance indications in b. 203-204, 213-214;
• the beginnings of the slurs in b. 49-52 and 57-60, 295-296 and analog., 722-723 were moved, the slurs under b. 268-269 and analog. were combined, a slur was prolonged to b. 364;
• the tie of e² was replaced with a tie of d², in b. 73-74,
• the following were added: pedalling in b. 105-116, ties in b. 114-115, 211-212, 273-274, staccato dot in b. 117,  in b. 189-190,  in b. 206, pair of  marks in b. 235-238, L.H. slur in b. 278-280, 434-435 or 492-495 and 511-515, arpeggios in b. 556-572 (13 marks);
• g² to f² was changed in the last chord in b. 240 and 691;
• the accents in b. 250 and analog. were completed and unified;
• the small quavers in b. 302 were changed to semiquavers;
• the L.H. slur in b. 438-439 and the R.H. slur in b. 543 were removed.

Cautionary accidentals were added, e.g. in b. 13 and analog., 179 and 630, 278, 280 and 382, 302-303, 468, the superfluous signs in b. 360 and 462, 478-480, 494-496 and further, 517, 535-536 were removed.

Other, generally less justified, arbitrary changes were also introduced:

• the position and/or range of the  or  hairpins in b. 49-50 and 57-58, 81-82, 215-218, 230 was changed;
• the small quavers in b. 395 were changed to normal ones;
•  in b. 358 and 460 was moved;
• the slurs in b. 477-478 and analog. were shortened;
• slurs of the bass sequence in b. 505-508 were added,
• a was added in b. 539.

It is also GE2 that is not free from mistakes, e.g. the staccato dot in b. 169 was overlooked.

^* O. E. Deutsch, Musikverlags-Nummern, Berlin 1961, p. 10.