What is the easiest etude in all of the 27 etudes he wrote? I want to learn it.
Can you also give me the best level 7,8 preludes too.
I greatly appreciate any responces.
P.S. I got the Dover edition and they said they copied directly from the Schirmer edition. Ed. is Mikuli. Is this edition accurate?
This site is superb for Early Editions:
https://chopin.lib.uchicago.edu/My personal Etude Editions ratings are:
National Edition - Jan Ekier, considered an authority in Chopin Editions.
IMO the best edition, costly, very accurate, although it's impossible to speak about accuracy in Chopin's Editions.
Brings a helpful Perfomance Comentary and Source Commentary, very comfortable reading, ex. Opus 10 n 2 has five pages, versus four pages in the other edition, good fingering and trustworthy pedalling sugestions. You can find at
https://www.bookstore.juilliard.edu/ or at
https://www.hutchinsandrea.com/ ( 8 * * * * * * * * )
Cortot Student Edition - The best edition to help your daily practice,
teaching how to overmatch the technical difficulties, with great number of
optional fingering. IMO his directions are essential in some etudes like op
10 n 1 and op 25 n 6. Not very confortable to read, AS If the notes were
smaller than other editions...Hutchins and Andrea online bookstore has the
English translation. (8 * * * * * * * * )
Konemann Music Budapest Edition - Urtext worthy edition (like Henle) , very comfortable to
read like EKIER, it seems has large staff, that brings facilities...ex...op 10 n 2, it's
first page locates at the left...so you change page only one time...for lazy readers like me, not so expensive as Ekier or Paderewski, . 8 pages of decent good comments.
(7 * * * * * * * )
Paderewski - Worthy and respectable edition, approved at piano competitions,
plenty comments, complemental to Ekier edition..Fingering more confused
comparing to Ekier. (6 * * * * * * )
Schott-Wiener/Universal urtext Edition/Red Cover - Badura-Skoda
revision, worthy, respectable. Modest comments or notes, less than Paderewski, Ekier, even Henle. Comments are a little messy at the bootm pages. Optional fingers confusing reading.
Awarded with a variant etude of opus 10 n 2, where the
traditional semiquaver chromatic chords are noted as seminima (quarter
note), nearly impossible to play at minima = 69 - and tempo Vivace.(5 * * * * * )
Henle - Urtext, worthy, respectable, has comments only in German. (4 * * * * )
Dover/Mikuli edition - brings the Preludes together, questionable accuracy.
I like it's historical/nostalgic aspect, and foreword by Mikuli.(3 * * * )
Peters (Scholtz/Pozniak) - like Dover, it's not Urtext edition the worst edition I have, difficult reading some etudes, no explanatory notes or comments.(2 * * )
Editions Choudens -Serge Weskler (1 * ) - don't buy this edition.
You should begin with an etude that you're in love matching to your level.
Good Luck!
Pedro
Topic: Intro Chopin etude and best preludes