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.
In the Prelude in B minor it is particularly the missing naturals lowering c
to c (in various octaves) in b. 12-14 that are noteworthy – most probably Chopin's oversight. The visible corrections to the notation are also interesting:
- change of the tempo marking from Largo to Lento assai,
- removed slurs and accents over the R.H. repeated figures in b. 2-6, 11-16 and 18 – a telling example of striving for simplicity and legibility of notation,
- numerous corrections to the R.H. part in b. 16-17, proving Chopin's hesitation.
| Original in: | Biblioteka Narodowa, Warsaw |
| Shelf-mark: | Mus. 93 |
