mUltimate Chopin

Op. 28 No. 12, Prelude in G♯ minor

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Omissions to cancel alteration

b. 3

composition: Op. 28 No. 12, Prelude in G♯ minor

..

In A (→FE,FC→GE) there is no  restoring g1 on the 3rd crotchet in the bottom R.H. voice. The mistake was noticed only in EE.

category imprint: Differences between sources; Editorial revisions

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

b. 12

composition: Op. 28 No. 12, Prelude in G♯ minor

..

This bar was entirely crossed out in A and rewritten on adjacent staves – the R.H. above the crossing-out, while the L.H. – below. In the readable initial version, the regular steps of the R.H. quavers and the position of the 1st L.H. chord are preserved, while the f1 notes are written enharmonically as e1: . The corrections had been performed before the performance marks were introduced – the crossed-out version did not contain the following elements: accent, staccato dots, phrase mark, dashes marking the range of crescendo and pedalling marks. The  restoring b1 on the 3rd beat of the bar was also missing.

category imprint: Corrections & alterations; Source & stylistic information

issues: Omissions to cancel alteration , Corrections in A , Deletions in A , Accompaniment changes , Enharmonic corrections , Main-line changes

b. 30

composition: Op. 28 No. 12, Prelude in G♯ minor

d1-d2 in A (→FC,FE), contextual interpretation

d1-d2 in A (→FC,FE), possible interpretation, & GE1 & EE

d1-d2 in GE2 (→GE3)
..

There are no accidentals before the last octave in A (→FC,FE), which results in d1-d2, which is a patent mistake. There are two possibilities:

  • Chopin meant a d1-d2 octave, yet he forgot to write a  next to the bottom note of the octave (version of GE1 and EE);
  • Chopin meant a d1-d2 octave, but he did not cancel the previous  next to the top note of the octave (version of GE2).

According to us, it is the latter that is much more likely, as it is suggested by the harmonic analogy in b. 29-30 and 31-32.

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

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