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Op. 28 No. 8, Prelude in F♯ minor

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b. 3-4

composition: Op. 28 No. 8, Prelude in F♯ minor

..

As was the case in the R.H. part, in A Chopin omits accidentals next to the quavers ending the four-note L.H. figures if they fall an octave lower than one of the preceding semiquavers. In the discussed bars, such a notation was repeated without changes in FC and FE1. Both necessary naturals – before g in b. 3 and f in b. 4 – were added in EE and GE2, whereas in the remaining editions only one natural was added, in GE1 in b. 3, while in FE2 in b. 4.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Accidentals in different octaves , GE revisions , FE revisions , Inaccuracies in A , Errors repeated in GE , Errors repeated in FE

b. 4

composition: Op. 28 No. 8, Prelude in F♯ minor

a1 in A (→FC→GE1), literal reading

a1 in FE (→EE) & GE2 (→GE3)
..

When interpreted literally, the version of A (→FC→GE1), in which the 4th demisemiquaver on the last beat of the bar is an a1, is most probably a mistake, although the interval structure of the four middle demisemiquavers (from the 3rd to the 6th in the eight-note figure) is strictly analogous to the seven preceding figures. It is indicated by a broader tonal context of this phrase and of the entire Prelude – the second of those four notes is never altered, while the key to which Chopin returns in the 2nd half of that bar is F minor, and not F major. A natural was added – most probably by Fontana – in FE (→EE); an identical addition was also introduced in GE2.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: Omissions to cancel alteration , GE revisions , Errors of A , FE revisions

b. 5-13

composition: Op. 28 No. 8, Prelude in F♯ minor

..

In this Prelude Chopin generally did not use accidentals before the top notes in broken octaves – see b. 1-4. In the discussed bars, the problem concerns the following cases:

  • in b. 5 e2,
  • in b. 7 d3 and d3,
  • in b. 8 c3, c3 and b2,
  • in b. 9 b2, b2, a2, g2 and c3,
  • in b. 10, c3, c3, b2 and a2,
  • in b. 11 c3 and b2,
  • in b. 12 g2, f2 and g2,
  • in b. 13 g2, f2 and c2.

Such a notation is in A (→FC,FE), whereas EE1, EE2, GE1 and GE2 added the majority of the necessary accidentals (17, 20, 21 and 22 out of the necessary 23, respectively).

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Accidentals in different octaves , GE revisions , Inaccuracies in A , Errors repeated in GE , Errors repeated in FE , Errors repeated in EE

b. 5

composition: Op. 28 No. 8, Prelude in F♯ minor

..

In A there is no accidental before the 1st note in the 4th group of demisemiquavers, which should therefore be interpreted as a1. A comparison with analogous b. 1 proves Chopin's mistake; it is also the  before the next a2 that confirms a1 as the intended pitch of that note. The natural was added in FC and FE (→EE); however, it is absent in GE, which is probably an oversight of the engraver.
We omit the cautionary  before a2 in the main text.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources; Source & stylistic information

issues: Errors in GE , Cautionary accidentals , Errors of A , FE revisions , Fontana's revisions

b. 6

composition: Op. 28 No. 8, Prelude in F♯ minor

..

In all sources, the last note in the 1st half of the bar is an a2; like in analog. b. 20. As they are the only places in which the last two demisemiquavers of the principal figure of the Prelude do not constitute the interval of an octave, one could assume a mistake of Chopin, e.g. a Terzverschreibung error. However, the following arguments are against a possible mistake:

  • In A this figure is written out with notes in both bars (without abbreviations and repetitions) and without corrections. Therefore, it is extremely improbable that Chopin would have committed the same mistake twice in this exact place.
  • Terzverschreibung errors are caused by a confusing impact of a combination of a few identical, parallel lines. Consequently, such mistakes occur within the stave or on ledger lines, but not between the stave and a ledger line.
  • An extended span of figurations that generally fit into an octave is often to be found in Chopin's pieces, e.g. in the Preludes No. 9 in E Major, b. 2, 4 and 8, No. 15 in D Major, b. 70 and 72-75, No. 23 in F Major, b. 14 or in the Etude in A Major, Op. 10 No. 10, b. 61-62 and 68 or the Etude in F Major, Op. 25 No. 3, b. 18 and 20.
  • Chopin's use of a2 in the discussed place may be justified by his willingness to avoid a false relation between f2-f1 and the next note in the L.H.

According to us, the above arguments rule out the possibility of a mistake in the discussed situation; f2 instead of a2 encountered in some later editions must be erroneous.

category imprint: Source & stylistic information