The version of A (→FC→GE1) may seem erroneous:
- in analog. b. 62, the 1st chord bottom note in all sources is e1;
- in all other chords, it is only the chordal notes that are sometimes doubled, never delays;
- in the entire four-bar phrase (b. 68-71), the top voice is doubled an octave lower, and one does not go beyond that span of an octave. The discussed place would be the only exception in this respect;
- e1 was present in this place in the initial version of this bar:
. If the correction was aimed at changing rhythmic values only (as was the case with analog. b. 62), d
1 could have been written by mistake.
However, each of the above arguments can be countered:
- minor changes in recurring phrases is rather a rule than an exception in Chopin's works. Even in the discussed place, the L.H. part was changed (in relation to b. 61-62), in a way compliant with the version featuring d1 – lowering the bass line increases the sonic stability of a chord, which, in turn, allows for a bolder use of dissonances;
- the d1-d2 octave delay naturally resolves to an e1-c2 sixth;
- going from the span of an octave to a bigger one in chords or figurations is typical of Chopin, cf., e.g. the following Preludes: No. 8 in F Minor, b. 6, No. 9 in E Major, b. 2, No. 20 in C Minor, b. 2 and 6, No. 23 in F Major, b. 14;
- the correction could have been aimed not only at changing rhythmic values, but also at changing the course of the bottom R.H. voice in a subtle way.
Therefore, to the main text we adopt the version with very distinct d1 written by Chopin. The version featuring e1 appears only in the sources of uncertain authenticity (FE and GE2), but it was initially also in A; moreover, the absence of corrections in the teaching copies proves that it was accepted by Chopin during lessons. Therefore, it can be considered an equivalent variant.
Compare the passage in the sources »
category imprint: Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations; Source & stylistic information
issues: Corrections in A, Errors resulting from corrections, GE revisions, FE revisions
notation: Pitch