Etudes

The aim of this Urtext edition is to present as far as is possible the text and notation that reflects most completely the original intentions of the composer, drawing upon the most important sources. Chopin's original manuscripts, the French and German first editions, and surviving the contemporary handwritten copies have been consulted. Editorial editions in the music have been restricted only to those exceptional cases where they are obviously necessary. Chopin's fingerings have been preserved with no others added in the awareness that some of them, arising from his unusual piano technique, are on occasion very strange to the modern performer. The same applies to pedal markings, which only approximate Chopin's performance and must be interpreted by the performer for today's instruments. A section of notes details the discrepancies between sources.