A - Autograph
Autograph fair-copy of all 24 Preludes, intended as the basis for the first French edition.
FC - Fontana's copy
Copy of A made by Julian Fontana, intended as the basis for the first German edition.
CXI - Copy of earlier version
Copy by unknown copyist, possibly of the earlier version of the Prelude.
CGS - Copy by George Sand
Copy made by George Sand.
FE - French edition
Ad. Catelin et Cie, Paris, plate number Ade. C. (560) et Cie.
FE1 ‒ first French edition, August 1839,
FE2 – second impression of FE1, (August⇒) 1839.
Brandus et Cie, Paris, plate number B. et Cie 4594.:
FE3 = FE2 with updated plate number, December 1846.
Three pupil's copies with Chopin’s annotations:
FED ‒ copy of FE3 belonging to Camille O'Méara-Dubois,
FES ‒ copy of FE2 belonging to Jane Stirling,
FESch ‒ copy of FE2 belonging to Maria Scherbatoff.
Teaching copy, in this Prelude without annotations:
FEJ ‒ copy of FE2 belonging to Ludwika Jędrzejewicz.
GE - German edition
Filiation of the sources
[AI] and [Ao] – hypothetical, lost sources that could explain the possible authenticity of some elements of the notation of [CXI] that deviate from A.
Principles behind the main text
of the Preludes Op. 28
We accept A as the basis. In some places, where one might suspect Chopin to have had made a mistake, we compare A with separate manuscripts of the particular Preludes. We have taken into consideration the annotations on pupils’ copies reflecting Chopin's teaching remarks.