Op. 50 No. 3, Mazurka in C♯ minor

AI was probably supposed to be a fair copy, but after writing it, it turned out that the composition had not yet reached a satisfactory level of refinement and Chopin gave up finishing the manuscript. The most serious change introduced after writing AI was the extension of the Mazurka by bars 105-136 and the related change to bars 137-140 – it seems likely that this was what ultimately determined the need to prepare new manuscripts. Presumably, this did not mean a complete abandonment of AI, as indicated by the way corrections were introduced in bars 63-67 and 158-161 and 166 – Chopin noted down new ideas there, without caring about the unambiguity or readability of the notation, which shows that he did them already knowing that the manuscript will not be read by anyone else.

AI contains a relatively complete slurring of the R.H. part, while the remaining performance markings, especially on the 2nd and 3rd pages, appear only at random:

• L.H. slurs are entered in bars 2-9, 16, 25-26, 36-37, 39-41, 64-65 and 188-189;
• bars 17-24 are marked – using slurs, staccato marks and accents – with an accuracy comparable to the version prepared for printing;
• elsewhere, only bass notes in bars 16 and 147-151 and the final crotchets in bars 192 are marked with staccato dots, and accents appear only in bars 173-177;
• the only verbal indications are  in bars 17 and 89 and  in bar 191;
• the only  sign occurs in bar 89, and the  hairpins in bars 8-9 and 90-92;
• the only fingering digit is already entered (in bar 147).

For this reason, if any marking – other than the R.H. slur – does not occur only in AI, we do not treat it as a variant, but at most we signal it in a note.