mUltimate Chopin

Op. 28 No. 15, Prelude in D♭ major

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : FE revisions

b. 36-38

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

..

In FE1 the crotchets in the middle R.H. voice are placed between subsequent quavers in the top voice, closer to the previous than to the next one, with which they are to be played. It can result in doubts as to the synchronization of both voices:

  • the R.H. crotchets are placed clearly before the respective L.H. crotchets,
  • the minims in b. 40-42 (placed in a similar manner) are to be played simultaneously with the preceding quaver, hence differently.

In FE2 the R.H. crotchets were moved so that they clearly combine with the following, uneven quavers. We do not reproduce this difference in our transcriptions (it does not influence the sound if read carefully).
The same applies to b. 52-54.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources; Source & stylistic information

issues: Inaccuracies in FE , FE revisions

b. 57-59

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

Slur to D-d in A, literal reading

Slur to bar 59 in A (contextual interpretation→FE→EE)

Slur to A-a in FC (→GE)
..

The phrase mark written in A under b. 48-58 reaches more or less the middle of the last bar (those bars are only signalized and do not contain notes). Having taken into account the contents of that bar, we get a phrase mark reaching the D-d octave. However, one can have doubts whether it was indeed Chopin's intention. It cannot be ruled out that the composer did not confront the phrase mark with the actual text of the L.H. part and simply repeated the mark from the homogeneous R.H. part. Therefore, in the main text we suggest a phrase mark reaching b. 59, which is compliant with the notation of analogous b. 41-43. When interpreted literally, the phrase mark of A may be considered a variant, whereas the even shorter phrase mark of FC (→GE) is a repetition of the erroneous, incomplete phrase mark of those sources in analogous b. 41-43.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Inaccurate slurs in A , FE revisions

b. 70

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

d1 in chord in A (→FC→GE1)

e1 in FE (→EE) & GE2 (→GE3)
..

The version of A (→FC→GE1) may seem erroneous:

  • in analog. b. 62, the 1st chord bottom note in all sources is e1;
  • in all other chords, it is only the chordal notes that are sometimes doubled, never delays;
  • in the entire four-bar phrase (b. 68-71), the top voice is doubled an octave lower, and one does not go beyond that span of an octave. The discussed place would be the only exception in this respect;
  • e1 was present in this place in the initial version of this bar: . If the correction was aimed at changing rhythmic values only (as was the case with analog. b. 62), d1 could have been written by mistake.

However, each of the above arguments can be countered:

  • minor changes in recurring phrases is rather a rule than an exception in Chopin's works. Even in the discussed place, the L.H. part was changed (in relation to b. 61-62), in a way compliant with the version featuring d1 – lowering the bass line increases the sonic stability of a chord, which, in turn, allows for a bolder use of dissonances;
  • the d1-d2 octave delay naturally resolves to an e1-c2 sixth;
  • going from the span of an octave to a bigger one in chords or figurations is typical of Chopin, cf., e.g. the following Preludes: No. 8 in F Minor, b. 6, No. 9 in E Major, b. 2, No. 20 in C Minor, b. 2 and 6, No. 23 in F Major, b. 14;
  • the correction could have been aimed not only at changing rhythmic values, but also at changing the course of the bottom R.H. voice in a subtle way.

Therefore, to the main text we adopt the version with very distinct d1 written by Chopin. The version featuring e1 appears only in the sources of uncertain authenticity (FE and GE2), but it was initially also in A; moreover, the absence of corrections in the teaching copies proves that it was accepted by Chopin during lessons. Therefore, it can be considered an equivalent variant.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations; Source & stylistic information

issues: Corrections in A , Errors resulting from corrections , GE revisions , FE revisions

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