and make a distinct break in the sound. Some editions even change the marking.
Whether or not we agree with Chopin’s marking it is better to try to understand his
thinking rather than ignore it. A similar comment goes for the opening chord and rest in
Chopin’s Polonaise in A flat major opus 53.
A close examination of a facsimile edition of Chopin’s autograph manuscript of his
Preludes opus 28 shows that Chopin considered the questions of pedalling closely and
even changed his mind at a late stage of composition. Chopin usually added his pedal
markings in last.
In Chopin the final note of a long phrase, as marked by a slur, often ends on the first beat
of a bar. He sometimes completes the beat with a rest or, as in the first page of his
Ballade no. 1 in G minor opus 23, puts a staccato dot on the note constituting the first
beat of the bar. In these cases there is a physiological lifting of the hand and Chopin’s
pedal markings ‘contradict’ the phrasing.
In many places in Chopin’s piano works, especially in his mazurkas and waltzes, his
pedal marking goes through a bass note (in the left hand) combined with a note plus a rest
(in the right hand) on the first beat. The pianist interprets this as a very slight pause on
the rest accompanied by the physiological lifting of the hand. The sound actually
continues as it is sustained by the pedal as marked.
In many other places in Chopin’s piano works, especially in his mazurkas and waltzes, he
also adds a staccato dot to the note before the rest. The pianist interprets this as a
somewhat longer pause on the rest accompanied by a more vigorous physiological lifting
of the hand. Again, the sound actually continues as it is sustained by the pedal as marked.
In each of the above contexts Chopin’s pedal marking sometimes goes through two
similar bars of the same harmony which makes it clear that the pedal sustains the note
through the second rest and supports the proposition that the pedal sustains the note
through the first rest. Many pianists, however, do not follow Chopin’s clear scheme.
The question arises generally throughout Chopin’s piano music where a bass note is
sustained by means of Chopin’s pedal marking and above it there is melody with rests
within it. Pianists interpret this as a very slight pause on the rest accompanied by a
physiological lifting of the hand. There are good examples of this in the Chopin
nocturnes. In bar 28 of the Nocturne in B major opus 32 no. 1 Chopin notates a melodic
fragment with a shortened note value and a rest. In bar 30 there is a similar but
sequential melodic fragment but this time Chopin notates it with a note of full value
without a rest. In each case there is the same sustained pedal marking. Chopin writes
particularly elaborate, delicately manicured, physiological rests in many of the melodies
of his mazurkas, nocturnes and waltzes and in particular in the melodies of his Polonaise-
Fantaisie opus 61.