Repeat sign

Abstract: Thirty years ago, Edward T. Cone remarked that the repeat sign in the fifth measure of the first movement of Chopin's B-flat Minor Sonata resuits "in nonsense."' More recently, Charles Rosen argued that the dots at the double measure after the grave are "a serious error," and that excluding the grave from the repeat of the entire exposition "makes awkward nonsense of an important moment in the opening movement."2 This argument has been then iterated in Rosen's new book,3 supported by Jeffrey Kallberg,4 and recently advocated in the National Edition of the Works of Fryderyk Chopin, edited by Jan Ekier;5 the notion is certainly gaining momentum. The problem of whether or not the grave should be restated along with the repeat of the exposition warrants some serious deliberations. For the performer, the newly advocated return to the first measure would change the character of the unfolding drama in the first movement of the sonata. For the teacher, arguing against the repeat sign after the grave means a dispute with the majority of moder editions. And this problem will certainly have to be addressed in The Complete Chopin: A New Critical Edition, now being prepared by Peters (London).6