mUltimate Chopin

Op. 28 No. 8, Prelude in F♯ minor

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Inaccuracies in A

b. 14-22

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

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

  • in b. 14 c2, d2, d2 and e2,
  • in b. 15 and 17 e2, d2, f2 and g2,
  • in b. 16 e2, d2, f2 and b2,
  • in b. 18 e2, d2, f2 and e2,
  • in b. 19 e2,
  • in b. 21 a2, b2 and e3.

Such a notation is in A (→FC,FE), whereas EE, GE1 and GE2 added the majority of the necessary accidentals (21, 18 and 22 out of necessary 24, 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. 14-21

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

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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 G in b. 14, B in b. 15-18, f in b. 20 and g in b. 21. That notation was literally repeated in FE; FC repeated it almost without changes (the only addition was a  next to B in b. 16). EE1 added the majority of the necessary accidentals – all except for the  of G in b. 14, while the remaining editions contain a fully correct notation.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

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

b. 21

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

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In the sources, there are no accidentals before the first and last notes of the 3rd L.H. figure. Therefore, the bottom one should be interpreted as a due to the  in the previous figure (it is particularly clear in the notation of the sources, in which the 3rd figure is still written in the bass clef). Naturally, it is Chopin's oversight – the harmonic context requires the notes to be interpreted as a1 and a; in such a situation, the top one does not need a , and Chopin considered an accidental next to the bottom one superfluous in such cases (cf. b. 3-4). In the main text we add a cautionary  also next to a1. 

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Editorial revisions

issues: Omissions to cancel alteration , Inaccuracies in A , Errors repeated in GE , Errors repeated in FE , Errors repeated in EE