mUltimate Chopin

Op. 28 No. 16, Prelude in B♭ minor

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Inaccuracies in FC

b. 16

composition: Op. 28 No. 16, Prelude in B♭ minor

a-c1-g1 in A (→FC,FE→EE)

a-g1 in GE
..

The notation of the chord on the 2nd quaver in the bar is ambiguous in FC – the c1 note, although most probably written by Fontana, is actually imperceptible and was not included in GE.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Inaccuracies in FC

b. 17

composition: Op. 28 No. 16, Prelude in B♭ minor

f in chord in A (→FE→EE)

e in FC (→GE)
..

The second note from the bottom of the L.H. chord was written in FC imprecisely, hence it looks more like e rather than f.

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources

issues: Inaccuracies in FC

b. 27-28

composition: Op. 28 No. 16, Prelude in B♭ minor

  in A, contextual interpretation

  in FC

  in FE (→EE)

  in GE
..

In both  marks in A the top arm is clearly longer than the bottom one. We adopt the range of the top arm, written first, in accordance with the more carefully written mark in similar b. 26. The relatively minor inaccuracies in the reproduction of the   marks in FC were exaggerated in GE, in which attempts were taken at placing the marks in such a way that they fill the entire bars. A similar manner, although only in b. 27, can also be seen in FE (→EE).

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

issues: Inaccuracies in FE , Scope of dynamic hairpins , GE revisions , Unclear hairpins in A , Inaccuracies in FC

b. 33

composition: Op. 28 No. 16, Prelude in B♭ minor

4 long accents in A (→FE)

4  in FC

4 longer  in GE

8 short accents in EE
..

The four marks in A are typical long accents, which, however, were reproduced fairly accurately only in FE. The marks in FC are slightly longer, whereas in GE they were adjusted to the length of an entire semiquaver group. In EE, as it was performed in the preceding bar, the marks were considered accents and were doubled (there are separate accents for the right and the left hands).

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Long accents , EE revisions , GE revisions , Inaccuracies in FC

b. 34-41

composition: Op. 28 No. 16, Prelude in B♭ minor

sempre più animato - - - till bar 41 in A

sempre più animato - - - till bar 40 in FC

sempre più animato - - till bar 38 in FE (→EE)

sempre - più - animato in bars 34-36 in GE
..

The sempre più animato indication occupies over 2 bars (b. 35 is written in an abridged manner) in A (→FC→GE); in FE (→EE) – one and a half. It matters only in the case of GE, in which the dashes marking the range of that indication were overlooked, and it is only in the version of that edition that we reproduce it in our transcription. In A and the sources based on it, the dashes were led to the end of the next line, which in A falls on b. 41, but in FC on b. 40, and in FE even earlier, i.e. on b. 38. Therefore, the shorter range is a patent mistake, both of the copyist and the engraver of FE, hence in the main text we reproduce the notation of A. According to us, however, it cannot be ruled out that a similar mistake was committed also by Chopin, since he wrote the last dash already beyond the bar line ending b. 41, and performing b. 42-45 sempre più animato seems to comply with the culminant nature of the ending of the Prelude. 

category imprint: Differences between sources; Editorial revisions; Source & stylistic information

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