In mUltimate Chopin, the word ‘Issues’ denotes a set of tags used to label remarks about source-related or stylistic issues frequently appearing in Chopin’s work. As particular issues recur in many different fragments of various works, the tagging system makes it possible to quickly locate and analyse them. The names chosen for such tags, necessarily brief, not always convey the complete scope of the issue they relate to. Below we present a list of all the tagged issues and provide more detailed descriptions of the aspects that they comprise.
Abbreviated indications – atypical or obsolete abbreviations, such as ‘dol.’ or ‘m.v.’.
Abbreviated notation of A – occurrence of markings used by Chopin (also in fair copies) that make a reference to earlier fragments instead of giving the full musical text, e.g. marking ‘empty’ bars with digits or letters, marking repeated figurations with // signs.
Accidental below the note – situations encountered in autographs when an accidental in front of a note written on a ledger line is placed visibly higher or lower than it should be.
Accidentals in different octaves – ambiguities resulting from the absence of precise rules for the application of accidentals to notes that are placed an octave higher or lower, including notes with an octave sign.
Accompaniment changes – issues related to the harmonic filling in the texture, in which it is clearly separated from the main line. Both that definition and the very division into accompaniment (background) and the main line (shape) have an approximate, indicative nature.
Annotations in teaching copies –
Authentic corrections of EE – those changes in English editions that were definitely or most probably made by Chopin himself.
Authentic corrections of FC – changes made by Chopin to copies produced by Julian Fontana.
Authentic corrections of FE – those changes in French editions that were definitely or most probably made by Chopin himself.
Authentic corrections of GC – changes made by Chopin to copies produced by Adolphe Gutmann.
Authentic corrections of GE – those changes in German editions that were definitely or most probably made by Chopin himself.
Authentic post-publication changes and variants – e.g. written by Chopin into teaching copies or transmitted in any other form by his pupils of friends.
Cautionary accidentals – appearing in sources that were written or corrected by Chopin.
Changed phrase length – added anacruses, endings, deleted passages and suchlike.
Changes of metre – different markings appearing in various sources or changes visible in autographs.
Changes of tempo markings – different markings appearing in various sources or changes visible in autographs.
Chopin’s hesitations – situations when the sources reveal that Chopin changed the text at least twice, restoring the version he had previously deleted.
Corrected slurs of Op. 21 in GE1 – locations of visible traces of slurs corrected in print.
Corrections of A – visible corrections and changes in autographs that were intended for print.
Corrections of AI – visible corrections and changes in autographs that are fair copies but were not intended for print, such as autographs written into albums or separate gift-autographs.
Different values of chord components – situations in which Chopin notates a chord without breaking it into voices, but with different rhythmic values of particular chord components.
Differences in form – ambiguities or differences between the sources as regards the volume or sequence of particular sections of the work, most often in connection with the use of abbreviated notation – repeat signs, dal segno or da capo, etc.
Differences in fingering – places in which fingering numerals given by Chopin in various sources require the use of different fingering in an identical situation.
Dotted or even rhythms – 
and 
or 
variants appearing in the same place in different sources or in analogous places throughout the piece.
EE revisions – intentional changes introduced by the editor without consulting the composer; relates to English editions, mainly those published by Wessel.
Embracing slurs – in autographs: clear or characteristic examples of notation in which slur ends embrace the outer notes of the section to which the slur relates.
Enharmonic corrections – enharmonic changes in notation made by Chopin that have no impact on the actual sound pitch, e.g. replacement of g
with f
.
Errors of A – errors made by Chopin in autographs other than sketches.
Errors of CDP – major errors occurring in copies from Delfina Potocka’s album.
Errors of CLI – major errors occurring in copies written probably by Józef Linowski.
Errors of FC – errors made by Julian Fontana when copying Chopin’s works.
Errors of GC – errors made by Adolf Gutmann when copying Chopin’s works.
Errors of JC – errors made by Ludwika Jędrzejewicz when copying Chopin’s works.
Errors in the number of ledger lines –
Errors in EE – major errors made in English editions, i.e. errors that were absent from the base text for a given edition (as far as this can be determined).
Errors in FE – major errors made in French editions, i.e. errors that were absent from the base text for a given edition (as far as this can be determined).
Errors in Fontana’s editions – major errors made in the posthumous editions of Chopin’s works edited by Julian Fontana, i.e. those errors that were absent from the base text for a given edition (as far as this can be determined).
Errors in GE – major errors made in German editions, i.e. errors that were absent from the base text for a given edition (as far as this can be determined.
Errors in PE – major errors made in Polish editions, i.e. errors that were absent from the base text for a given edition (as far as this can be determined).
Errors repeated in EE – situations when a mistake present in the base text to the English edition was not corrected in that edition, in spite of the fact that the engraver or reviser had an opportunity to reveal the error.
Errors repeated in FE – same as above with respect to French editions.
Errors repeated in GE – same as above with respect to German editions.
Errors resulting from corrections –
FE revisions – intentional changes introduced by the editor without consulting the composer; relates to French editions, mainly those published by M. Schlesinger and his successor Brandus.
Fontana’s revisions – deliberate changes introduced by Fontana in the editions of Chopin’s posthumous legacy redacted by him.
Foreign hand additions in autographs – marks inserted into the autograph by a foreign hand, most often by the reviewer of one of the first editions. This category only includes additions that have an impact on the musical text, and ignores e.g. markings used by engravers for planning the text layout (division into systems and pages).
GE revisions – intentional changes introduced by the editor without consulting the composer; relates to German editions, mainly those published by Kistner and Breitkopf & Härtel.
Hairpins denoting continuation – situations in which a continuation of a dynamic change in a new line is indicated by a repetition of a whole sign 
or 
.
Inaccuracies in FC – places in which Fontana’s copy inaccurately reproduces the notation of the autograph. Includes shifted slurs, misplaced dynamic or articulation markings, minor errors and omissions.
Inaccuracies in GC – places in which Gutmann’s copy inaccurately reproduces the notation of the autograph. Includes shifted slurs, misplaced dynamic or articulation markings, minor errors and omissions.
Inaccuracies in EE – situations in which the notation of the base text was inaccurately reproduced in one of the English editions. Includes shifted slurs, misplaced dynamic or articulation markings, minor errors and omissions.
Inaccuracies in FE – situations in which the notation of the base text was inaccurately reproduced in one of the French editions. Includes shifted slurs, misplaced dynamic or articulation markings, minor errors and omissions.
Inaccuracies in GE – situations in which the notation of the base text was inaccurately reproduced in one of the German editions. Includes shifted slurs, misplaced dynamic or articulation markings, minor errors and omissions.
Inaccuracies in PE – situations in which the notation of the base text was inaccurately reproduced in one of the Polish editions. Includes shifted slurs, misplaced dynamic or articulation markings, minor errors and omissions.
Incomplete sources – sources containing only part of the work (i.e. unfinished or with missing fragments).
Inserted rest – rhythmic variants of type 
– 
.
Last key signature sign – situations in which Chopin seemed not sure about the number of sharp or flat signs in the current key signature; e.g. in B major (two flats in the key signature) he would place accidental flats before e notes or naturals to ‘a’ notes, for which there would be no reason. The most glaring example of this is the Mazurka in G
minor Op. 33 no. 1, notated in the sources with 4 sharps in the key signature.
Legato & slurs – places where the legato (sempre legato, legatissimo or similar) indication and slurs occur simultaneously or interchangeably.
Long accents – only where their appearance is problematic, particularly the differentiation between short diminuendo, long accent and ordinary (short) accent.
Main-line changes – pertaining to the cantabile or figuration perceived as a shape (either independent or emerging out of the accompaniment-background). Both that definition and the very division into accompaniment (background) and the main line (shape) have an approximate, indicative nature.
No initial dynamic marking – works without dynamic markings at the beginning.
No pedal release mark – mark without a following . In certain situations this seems to be a feature of Chopin’s notation, not an error.
Omitted correction of an analogous place – situations when, while correcting several similar places, Chopin omits one of them.
Omission of current key accidentals – the second most frequent inaccuracy found in Chopin’s notation: accidentals for the key currently in force (other than those resulting from the key signature) are missing.
Omission to cancel alteration – the first one of the two most frequent inaccuracies of Chopin’s notation: absence of accidentals that cancel earlier alterations and restore the pitch that fits the main key.
Partial corrections – situations when a correction remains unfinished; most often a new, corrected version occurs simultaneously with an earlier one or its part.
Placement of markings – situations when sources differ in that respect; for instance, accents or slurs in some editions were routinely moved to the note head side.
Pointing slurs – in autographs: clear or characteristic examples of notation in which slur ends ‘point to’ outer notes of the section to which the slur relates.
Scope of dynamic hairpins – any inaccuracies connected with this, both in autographs and in the way those markings are read by the editions.
Sign reversal – a printing error that consists in using a mirror image of the proper sign, most often a dynamic mark, e.g. printing instead of .
Synchronization markings – lines added in teaching copies to indicate how the R.H. part should be synchronized with the L.H. part; they relate mostly to grace notes, runs written in small notes and irregular rhythmic groups.
Tenuto slurs – slurs encompassing the whole rhythmic value of the last (or only) slurred note, contrary to the usual notation where slurs do not extend beyond that note.
’Terzverschreibung’ error – occurrences of a frequent error, made by copyists, engravers or even the composer himself, consisting in writing a note a third higher or lower than intended.
‘Triplet’ slurs – slurs forming part of marking of tuplets (triplets, quintuplets, etc.), often significant also for phrasing or articulation. This tag marks places in which Chopin supplemented or modified initial slurring. Cf. General Editorial Principles, point 16.
Turn –
Uncertain notes on ledger lines – for inner notes of the chord it is sometimes difficult to determine whether or not Chopin wrote a note on the ledger line. Also, notes written on the lowest ledger line often have short downward lines that are sometimes (usually erroneously) interpreted as additional crotchet stems (the lower voice).
Wedges – only problematic situations connected with their occurrence, particularly the ‘dot or wedge’ differentiation.
