mUltimate Chopin

Op. 2, Variations, complete

Text Compare Notes Sources Description

Issues : Errors in FE

b. 315

composition: Op. 2, Variations, complete

Wedges to 2nd & 3rd octave in AsI

Dot & 2 wedges in A

Wedges to 1st & 3rd octave in GE1 (→GE2)

No marks in FE & EE

3 wedges in GE3
..

The three bass octaves are provided with staccato marks in A. Only the first one is a dot, which seems to be Chopin's inadvertence – it is supported by both the next two L.H. wedges and the R.H. wedges in these places. In this case, we consider the unification process carried out by GE to be justified and adopt it to the main text. The omission of the second mark in GE1 (→GE2) must have resulted from lack of space; the wedge was added in GE3. The easiest explanation for the fact that the versions of FE and EE are devoid of marks would be oversights.
The absence of the first staccato mark in AsI almost certainly resulted from an inaccurate nature of this working manuscript, in which performance indications appear only in some fragments (to a varying degree of intensity).

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Errors in FE , Errors in EE , Errors in GE , GE revisions

b. 319

composition: Op. 2, Variations, complete

5 wedges in AsI & A

6 wedges in GE (→EE,FESB)

No marks in FE
..

Chopin marked with wedges 5 thirds, since the last two are connected by a slur. Therefore, the sixth wedge in GE (→EE,FESB) must be a mistake. In FE all these marks were omitted, which was most probably a side effect of the intervention in the size of notes – see the next note.

As far as the notation of AsI is concerned, it is inaccurate, while the compliance in terms of the number of wedges with the version of A is most probably accidental – Chopin scribbled a few dashes (marking wedges) with the intention of marking all 6 semiquavers in this way and did not bother to check their number in the working manuscript (in the R.H. he put as many as 7 dashes!).

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Errors in FE , Errors resulting from corrections , Errors in GE

b. 320

composition: Op. 2, Variations, complete

Accent in AsI

Accent & wedges in A (→GE→EE)

No marks in FE & FESB
..

The left-out accent and wedges must be a mistake by FE and FESB. In the case of FE1 (→FE2), according to us, the possible reason could be – as in the previous bar – the introduction of the ossia più facile version, marked by the use of a smaller font (see the note in bar 319).

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Errors in FE , Errors resulting from corrections

b. 320

composition: Op. 2, Variations, complete

Slur in A (→GE→EE,FESB)

No slur in FE
..

The missing slur in FE must be a mistake, as in the case of the accent and wedges – see the previous note.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Errors in FE , Errors resulting from corrections

b. 327-329

composition: Op. 2, Variations, complete

Staccato dots in A

Wedges in GE (→FE,EE)
..

As before, all staccato marks used by Chopin, in this case dots, were arbitrarily reproduced in GE as wedges.
In FESB both marks in bar 327 were overlooked; we do not regard this incomplete version as an independent variant.

category imprint: Differences between sources

issues: Errors in FE , GE revisions , Wedges