b. 8
In A the direction of the 2nd dynamic hairpin is unclear – the mark could be described as a with an additional, shorter arm, which constitutes an angle typical of marks. According to us, the length of that additional arm points to its accidental nature, and the mark should be interpreted as diminuendo. This is how it was interpreted by Fontana in FC (→GE). The hairpin in FE is not so much a consequence of the ambiguity described above as a result of a mistake or a revision, which is suggested by a similar range of marks (in that edition) in this and adjacent bars.
Compare the passage in the sources»
category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources
issues: Inaccuracies in FE, Inaccuracies in A
notation: Articulation, Accents, Hairpins