mUltimate Chopin

Op. 28 No. 8, Prelude in F♯ minor

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Issues : Cautionary accidentals

b. 5

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

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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

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In the main text we add a cautionary  before f2. We also keep the cautionary  before d1 in the L.H. part, present in all sources.

category imprint: Editorial revisions

issues: Cautionary accidentals

b. 9

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

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In A (→FC→GE) there is a  before b in the 3rd figure of the accompaniment. The unnecessarily repeated accidental was removed in FE (→EE1) but reinstated in EE2. According to us, the crossings-out visible in A in this figure point to a possible mistake of Chopin – that superfluous  was perhaps to be placed before the previous semiquaver, lowering it from g to g.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Cautionary accidentals , FE revisions

b. 10

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

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GE and EE added a  before b2. However, the Chopinesque  before b1 is a cautionary accidental; in this context, repeating it next to the 2nd demisemiquaver (placed an octave higher) of this group does not seem necessary.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Source & stylistic information

issues: EE revisions , GE revisions , Cautionary accidentals

b. 10

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

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In the 1st group of demisemiquavers in this bar, one can see in A a crossed-out accidental – most probably a  – before the 3rd demisemiquaver. Formally, the accidental is not necessary here; it is absent both in FC and FE (→EE1). However, the presence of the f pedal note as well as f2 at the end of the previous bar justify its addition in the form of a cautionary accidental, which was performed in GE and EE2.
See also the next note.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Editorial revisions; Corrections & alterations

issues: EE revisions , GE revisions , Cautionary accidentals , Deletions in A