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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).

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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b. 6-13

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

As was the case in b. 3-4, in A Chopin generally omits accidentals next to the bass quavers if the accidentals have been written an octave higher next to one of the preceding semiquavers. In the discussed bars it concerns f in b. 6, c¹ and b in b. 7, g and g in b. 8, f in b. 9 and 11, B and G in b. 11, B in b. 12 and G in b. 13. That notation was literally repeated in FE; in FC almost without changes (only one added next to B in b. 11). The remaining editions added the majority of the necessary accidentals – in EE1 all except for the next to G in b. 13, while in GE1 all except for the naturals next to f in b. 6 and G in b. 11 (in GE2 the former was added). It is only EE2 that includes a fully correct notation.