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Op. 28 No. 4, Prelude in E minor

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Slurs

b. 18

composition: Op. 28 No. 4, Prelude in E minor

Slur in first half of bar 18 in As

Slur over entire phrase in remaining sources
..

Instead of a slur over the entire phrase in b. 13-19, As includes only a half-bar slur in b. 18. The appearance of a slur in this exact place can be related to the draft, incomplete nature of the manuscript; however, it is likely that Chopin's first impulse was to write down this group of quavers as a quintuplet, yet he changed the concept still before writing a digit '5' under the slur (irregular groups were generally marked by Chopin with a slur and a digit).

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

b. 19

composition: Op. 28 No. 4, Prelude in E minor

Slur from crotchet in As & GE

Slur from grace note in remaining sources
..

The slur of As begins more or less in the middle of the bar, so it can be interpreted as starting from the f1 minim. According to us, a slur of such a range concerned the initial version of the ending of the bar; following its deletion, it is only the a1 crotchet that remained, and the slur inevitably begins from it. A slur starting from the a1 crotchet is also included in GE; however, it is a result of a routine revision, adjusting the notation to certain general notation conventions. 

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: GE revisions

b. 20

composition: Op. 28 No. 4, Prelude in E minor

Continuous slur in As, A (→FE→EE) & CGS

Separate slurs in FC (→GE)
..

The division of the slur in FC (→GE) could have resulted from a misinterpretation of A – the copyist could have overlooked the fragment of the slur over the dotted f1 quaver, which blends in with the topmost line of the stave. It is noteworthy that the slurs in As connect almost in the same place as in A.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Errors of FC

b. 23-24

composition: Op. 28 No. 4, Prelude in E minor

No slur in As, GE2 (→GE3) & CGS

Slur in bar 24 i A

Slur to bar 25 in FC (→GE1) & FE (→EE)
..

The L.H. slur in A encompasses only the two minims in b. 24. The range of the slur in FC is not entirely clear; however, it seems to point at the final E1-E octave, which is how it was reproduced in GE1. A longer slur, probably under the influence of the R.H., is also present in FE (→EE). The absence of the slur in GE2 and CGS is an oversight.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Inaccuracies in FE , Errors in GE , Inaccuracies in FC

b. 24-25

composition: Op. 28 No. 4, Prelude in E minor

No slur in As

Slur in remaining sources
..

Chopin added the slur over the final cadence only while preparing the Prelude for publication.

category imprint: Differences between sources