mUltimate Chopin

WN 37, Lento con gran espressione

Text Compare Notes Sources Description
Select: 
Category
All
Graphic ambiguousness
Interpretations within context
Differences between sources
Editorial revisions
Corrections & alterations
Source & stylistic information
Notation
All
Pitch
Rhythm
Slurs
Articulation, Accents, Hairpins
Verbal indications
Pedalling
Fingering
Ornaments
Shorthand & other
Importance
All
Important
Main
Undo Clear

b. 29-30

composition: WN 37, Lento con gran espressione

No marks in A1

& > in CJ & CK

& > in CB

i > in EL
..

In CJ and CK the accent in b. 30 is clearly shorter than the mark in b. 29, hence we interpret them as a short and long accent, respectively. It is compliant with the harmonic and rhythmic context of the accented notes – e2 in b. 29 creates a tense delay, whereas d2 in b. 30 is merely a dance syncopation. In CB and EL the mark in b. 29 was reproduced as a diminuendo hairpin; moreover, EL extended it so that it fills the entire 2nd half of the bar (cf. b. 23-24).

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Long accents , Scope of dynamic hairpins , Balakirev's revisions , Revisions in EL

b. 30

composition: WN 37, Lento con gran espressione

No marks in A1

2 staccato dots in CJ, CK (→CB) & EL
..

The staccato dots specify the notation and were introduced in [A2] (→CJ,CK→CB).

category imprint: Differences between sources

b. 31

composition: WN 37, Lento con gran espressione

..

The traces of a  visible in the L.H. part in A1 at the beginning of the bar show that Chopin started writing d here, yet he realised it quickly and wrote c.  

category imprint: Source & stylistic information

issues: Corrections in A , Enharmonic corrections

b. 31

composition: WN 37, Lento con gran espressione

Quavers b & a in A1 & CK

Crotchet b & quaver a in CJ

Quavers b & g in CB, contextual interpretation

Crotchet b in EL

Crotchet b & quaver  a suggested by the editors
..

Extending the b quaver to a crotchet, which results in a g(a)-b third at the end of the bar, is probably a specification of notation introduced in [A2]. The additional stem is absent in CK (→CB), whereas in EL this note is a crotchet, since the last quaver was omitted. It is almost certainly Kolberg's revision, suggesting his knowledge of the authentic notation of [A2], although it had not been reproduced in CK – he could have considered the additional stem to be a correction of the text of the last beat of the bar. The aforementioned third leads to a-c1 in the next bar, which is slightly obscured by the Chopinesque simplified orthography (in CB the last quaver is written as g; however, the  raising b to b in the penultimate one was overlooked). In the main text we add a cautionary  to the Chopinesque a.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources; Editorial revisions; Corrections & alterations

issues: Kolberg's revisions , Balakirev's revisions

b. 31

composition: WN 37, Lento con gran espressione

No sign in A1 & CB

 in CJ & CK

in EL
..

In the main text we give the concordant version of CJ and CK. The mark moved to the beginning of the bar is probably Kolberg's revision in the Stichvorlage for EL, which could be a correct guess of Chopin's intention in this case. The overlooked hairpin is most probably Balakirev's mistake. 

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations

issues: Scope of dynamic hairpins