What do these small notes mean?

[gr10207]

Hello, I'm trying to learn Danse Macabre and I found these small notes and I don't know what they mean, I don't think they are appoggiaturas because they are right under the bigger notes. Any information would be helpful, thanks.

[psipsi8]

Hi
The only Danse Macabre I;ve heard of is by Saint-Saens, for orchestra. Maybe you're learning a piano arrangement and the small notes are optional?

[brogers70]

Hi
The only Danse Macabre I;ve heard of is by Saint-Saens, for orchestra. Maybe you're learning a piano arrangement and the small notes are optional?

Sounds right to me. If you can manage the octaves, you play the small notes; if not, you leave them out.

[gr10207]

Hi
The only Danse Macabre I;ve heard of is by Saint-Saens, for orchestra. Maybe you're learning a piano arrangement and the small notes are optional?

Okay thanks guys!

[keypeg]

Like was already suggested I suspect they're written in as options, since playing those octaves would be harder than playing single notes.  If this is meant for students, that might definitely be the case.

[perfect_pitch]

I can't believe I didn't work this out the first time I saw it, but some of the notes are wrong if I'm not mistaken. The top G#'s written in the very first incomplete bar should be F# and E# as the lower smaller notes are correct, the top ones are not (as they don't make octaves).

Which version is this... I hope there aren't any more mistakes like that.

[klavieronin]

I can't believe I didn't work this out the first time I saw it, but some of the notes are wrong if I'm not mistaken. The top G#'s written in the very first incomplete bar should be F# and E# as the lower smaller notes are correct, the top ones are not (as they don't make octaves).

Which version is this... I hope there aren't any more mistakes like that.

Nice catch!