A1 - Working autograph
Autograph with fragments making unique use of the polymetry.
CJ - Jędrzejewicz Copy
Copy of a lost autograph, produced by Chopin's sister Ludwika.
CK - Kolberg Copy
Copy made by Oskar Kolberg from [A2] (directly or through another copy).
CB - Balakirev Copy
Copy prepared by Mily Balakirev after one of the copies by Kolberg.
EL - First edition
First edition, M. Leitgeber i spółka [& Co], plate number M. L. 18, Poznań 1875. The piece was described as Adagio on the cover.
Filiation of the sources
[A2] – lost later autograph, sent by Chopin to his sister Ludwika.
[CK'] – lost Kolberg's copy, sent to M.A. Szulc as the Stichvorlage for EL.
Additional source
Six-bar incipit in the list of 36 Unpublished Works by Chopin compiled c. 1854 by the composer’s sister, Ludwika Jędrzejewicz (The Fryderyk Chopin Museum, Warsaw). It was copied from [A2] (with errors of rhythm) and furnished with information on the origins of the work: 'A Lento sent to me from Vienna [in] 1830. A Lento of the Nocturne variety.'
Principles behind the main text of the
Lento con gran espressione, WN 37
In the main text we give the version of the lost autograph [A2] reconstructed on the basis of CJ, compared with CK.
The slurring of A1 is highly fragmentary and imprecise; the same can be said—in spite of minor additions—of the version in [A2]. At times it is very difficult to determine the compass of slurs; they often embrace only the beginning or the middle of the section to which they most probably apply. Analogically, in a series of similar figures, e.g. quavers in the accompaniment, slurs sometimes appear over single figures or bars. We make a small number of additions in this respect, to lessen the risk of misunderstanding with regard to their significance.