mUltimate Chopin

Op. 28 No. 8, Prelude in F♯ minor

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Errors repeated in FE

b. 13

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

..

In A (→FC,FE→EE1) there is no accidental before the 1st note in the last group. It must be Chopin's oversight – this and the next bar constitute a cadence in C major, and an enharmonic notation of degree 1 of that key does not make sense. A respective addition in the form of a flat lowering b to b was introduced in GE and EE2.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals , Errors of A , Errors repeated in FE , Errors repeated in EE

b. 14-22

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

..

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. 15-18

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

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In A (→FC,FE) there is no  lowering f to f in the 3rd L.H. figure of each of these bars. Interestingly enough, Chopin was convinced that there was no need for an accidental here, since he crossed it out the first time (in b. 15). All naturals were added in GE and EE. 

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

issues: EE revisions , GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals , Errors of A , Deletions in A , Errors repeated in FE

b. 17

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

b1 in sources, contextual interpretation

a1 suggested by the editors
..

In all sources, the 3rd demisemiquaver in the 2nd group is a b1 (literal interpretation). It is the initial uncorrected version, left by inadvertence – in A, initially, the 3rd demisemiquaver in the first two figures of each of b. 15-18 was a b1, which Chopin then changed to a1 in 7 out of 8 places. Such an oversight in correcting one of a few analogous places would happen to Chopin on a few occasions. The fact that he forgot the discussed note while performing corrections is also evidenced by it having been left without a , which was before the respective note of the 1st group of the bar in the initial version.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Editorial revisions

issues: Omission of current key accidentals , Errors of A , Omitted correction of an analogous place , Errors repeated in GE , Errors repeated in FE , Errors repeated in EE