mUltimate Chopin

Op. 28 No. 15, Prelude in D♭ major

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b. 79

composition: Op. 28 No. 15, Prelude in D♭ major

Synchronization sign written into FED

No teaching indication
..

The marking indicating the way the roulade should be performed against the L.H. quavers was written in FED. This is one of several examples proving that this type of irregular groups can be performed rhythmically freely, emphasizing the motivic structure of the run. Another such sign can be found, e. g. in the Nocturne in B minor, Op. 9 No. 1, bar 3, also included in Ms. Dubois's copy.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Annotations in teaching copies , Annotations in FED , Synchronization markings

b. 80

composition: Op. 28 No. 15, Prelude in D♭ major

Dotted minims in A

Minims in FC (→GE) & FE (→EE1)

Minim & crotchet in EE2
..

Similarly to b. 76, both FC (→GE) and FE (→EE1) omitted the dots prolonging the d1-f1 third, and EE2 arbitrarily repeated it on the 4th beat.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Inaccuracies in FE , Inaccuracies in FC

b. 81

composition: Op. 28 No. 15, Prelude in D♭ major

Slur from 3rd quaver in A (literal reading→FE→EE)

Slur from 2nd quaver in A, possible interpretation

No slur in FC (→GE)
..

The slur of A was written carelessly – its right-hand end reaches over the rest, while the curvature is barely noticeable. Therefore, one can ponder whether its starting point, falling on the 3rd quaver in the bar, corresponds to Chopin's intention, particularly since in a similar context, in b. 27, the slur of A starts clearly on the 2nd quaver. Taking into account the above, we suggest a slur running from the 2nd quaver as an acceptable variant.
The missing slur in FC (→GE) is one of quite numerous oversights of the copyist.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Inaccurate slurs in A , Errors of FC

b. 81-83

composition: Op. 28 No. 15, Prelude in D♭ major

in A

No markings in FC (→GE)

  in FE (→EE)

 []  [], our variant suggestion
..

The release of the pedal indicated at the beginning of b. 81 was not marked in A. It could have been intended by Chopin, since wherever a gradual pedal release sounds good, Chopin would often forgo the  mark (cf., e.g. the Waltz in C Minor, Op. 64 No. 1, b. 15 or the Concerto in F Minor, Op. 21, 3rd mov., b. 117-120). On the other hand, the likelihood of an oversight of  is quite high due to the layout of A – the next pedalling marking and b. 83, which precedes it, are in the next line, which promotes various inaccuracies. In practice, the pedal could be released both analogously to b. 77, hence before the 4th beat of the bar, and at the end of b. 83. The latter actually does not require any further additions, hence the two [] marks in b. 81 and 83 suggested in the main text indicate, respectively, the shortest and longest possible pedal, not naturally resulting from the Chopinesque notation.
No pedalling markings at all in these bars is most probably an oversight of FC (→GE). In turn, the  mark added in FE (→EE) by analogy with b. 77 is almost certainly inauthentic, since Fontana rather did not consult the corrections he performed in FE1 with Chopin. 

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: FE revisions , No pedal release mark

b. 82-83

composition: Op. 28 No. 15, Prelude in D♭ major

Slur in A (literal reading→FE→EE)

Slur in A, contextual interpretation

2 slurs in FC (→GE)
..

The beginning of the slur in A falls slightly before the 2nd crotchet in b. 82, which explains the choice of FE (→EE), in which the slur runs from that crotchet. According to us, starting the slur at the pitch of the previous tie to b2 indicates that the motif beginning with that syncopation should be continued, which seems more natural, after all.
The division of the slur in FC (→GE) resulted from an erroneous interpretation of the slur of A, which, due to the fact that it is between the lines, was written in two parts.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Inaccurate slurs in A , Errors of FC