mUltimate Chopin

Op. 28 No. 8, Prelude in F♯ minor

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Pitch

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. 13

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

f1 in A (→FE1,FC→GE)

f1 in FE2 (→EE)
..

The version with f1, although harmonically possible, is, however, most probably erroneous – in the entire Prelude, in the vast majority of the eight-note figures, the 3rd demisemiquaver is placed a half a tone lower than the 5th one. Therefore, the natural added in FE2 (→EE) is most probably an accurate addition, although Chopin's participation in that intervention is uncertain.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

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

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

..

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. 14

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

..

In the main text we omit the  before G present in the sources in the 3rd L.H. figure. The accidental is a consequence of a problematic chromatic notation used by Chopin in this Prelude (see b. 3-4) – a flat at this pitch should have already been in the 1st figure.

category imprint: Editorial revisions