A - Autograph


Date: 22 I 1839
Title: 24 Préludes
Dedication: Son ami J. C. Kessler

Autograph fair-copy of all 24 Preludes, sent from Majorca on January 22, 1839 to Julian Fontana for copying. A served as the basis for the first French edition. Many deletions and corrections together with a considerable number of various errors and inaccuracies represent the work devoted by Chopin to A but also the effort the completion of such a large manuscript demanded from the ailing composer. A more detailed description of A as a whole – see Prelude in C no. 1.

The most significant corrections performed in the Prelude in D major include:

  • changed tempo indication from Vivace to Allegro molto,
  • changed rhythm of the tied R.H. notes in b. 13-16 and 29-32,
  • changed line of the middle R.H. voice in b. 34-36.

Dense notation without spaces between great staves is noteworthy; consequently, in many places the pedal markings – added to a generally finished text – had to be written on beams, slurs, etc.

Original in: Biblioteka Narodowa, Warsaw
Shelf-mark: Mus. 93