Op. 12, Variations in B♭ major

  b. 204-206

		Alternating B major & minor chords in FE (→GE,EE)
		Major chords suggested by editors
		Major chords & 1 minor one, our alterna­tive suggestion

When interpreted literally, the FE notation (→GE,EE) indicates B chords on the 1st quavers and B minor chords on the fourth ones. However, it is much more likely that Chopin meant B chords also in the middle of these bars, particularly in bar 205:

• repeating  to d¹ in the last chord in bar 205 proves that Chopin probably heard d¹ in the preceding chord;
• if Chopin wanted to alternate between B and B minor chords, he would have probably used a cautionary  to d¹  at the beginning of bar 206, as he did to g in the middle of the bar;
• a similar harmonic idea – combination of seventh chords with triads, in which subsequent seventh chords alternate between common and altered ones, but the triads appear always in the same form – is used in bars 35-36 in the Etude in A minor, Op. 25 No. 4.

Therefore, as the main text we suggest a B chord, repeated four times, which we mark both with naturals restoring d¹ in the middle of each bar and with cautionary naturals to the first quavers. As an alternative solution, we suggest one B minor chord in the middle of bar 206, which is a version with a smaller number of additions to the source text, and yet logical, harmonically speaking – one could say that the unexpected appearance of a G₁-G octave on a strong beat, and as the root of a G⁷ chord, has been prepared with the help of a passing B minor chord.

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category imprint: Interpretations within context; Editorial revisions

issues: Errors in FE, Omissions to cancel alteration, Cautionary accidentals

notation: Pitch

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