mUltimate Chopin

Op. 28 No. 21, Prelude in B♭ major

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Errors in FE

b. 17

composition: Op. 28 No. 21, Prelude in B♭ major

Staccato dot in A

No mark in remaining sources
..

As was the case in b. 13, in the main text we include the staccato dot written in A and omitted in all the remaining sources.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Errors in FE , Errors of FC

b. 19-23

composition: Op. 28 No. 21, Prelude in B♭ major

..

In A Chopin overlooked a few necessary flats in the R.H. part: in b. 19 d2, in b. 21 d3 and g2, in b. 22 d2 and d3. FC added only the first  in b. 21; in addition, the copyist overlooked the  of g2 in b. 23. FE also added only some of the necessary flats, next to d2(3) in b. 21-22, and – which is puzzling – also overlooked the  of g2 in b. 23. GE and EE added all necessary accidentals.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Errors in FE , Accidentals in different octaves , GE revisions , Omission of current key accidentals , FE revisions , Inaccuracies in FC , Fontana's revisions , Inaccuracies in A , Errors repeated in FE

b. 28

composition: Op. 28 No. 21, Prelude in B♭ major

..

In the notation of A (→FC), reproduced by us in the main text, in which g1 on the 5th quaver is on the top stave, this note does not require an accidental. In the editions it was moved to the bottom stave, yet it was only GE and EE that added the necessary flat.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Errors in FE

b. 33-36

composition: Op. 28 No. 21, Prelude in B♭ major

5 slurs in A, literal reading

5 slurs in A, contextual interpretation

5 slurs in FC

3 slurs in FE (→EE)

2 slurs in GE
..

In the main text we give a contextual interpretation of the slurring of A – we consider the bottom slur in b. 33, which closes the line, to be inaccurate, since it is too short (like in a few other places, see b. 1). The clearly extended slurs in subsequent analogous bars undoubtedly reveal Chopin's intention. However, this notation was not reproduced correctly in any of the sources, which may be explained by revision (in all cases), an erroneous interpretation (FC) or carelessness (GE).

category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness

issues: Errors in FE , Inaccurate slurs in A , Errors in GE , FE revisions , Inaccuracies in FC , Uncertain slur continuation

b. 44

composition: Op. 28 No. 21, Prelude in B♭ major

..

In FE the  in the L.H. part is before the top note of the third on the 3rd quaver in the bar, which results in A-c. The patent mistake was corrected in EE. The remaining sources also contain the correct text.

category imprint: Interpretations within context; Differences between sources

issues: EE revisions , Errors in FE