The crossings-out visible in As, although generally illegible, allow us, however, to perform a possible reconstruction of the initial melodic line in these bars (in b. 19 two versions are possible, according to us):
or 
;
;
.A comparison of those versions allows us to observe and evaluate the subtle, but significant transformations that this fragment underwent. In the initial version (1), echoes of the dramatic melodic agitation in b. 16-18 are to be heard – in spite of the halt on the dotted minim in b. 19 – until the beginning of b. 20. In the final version of As (2), it is already the beginning of b. 19 that is calmer, in which we find the basic rhythm of b. 1 and analog. The simplification of the melic layer is also noteworthy – in the versions 1, the e1-a1-f
1 scheme, in which the target f1 is achieved both from the top and from the bottom, is repeated until the very end. Starting from the version 2, Chopin left only the descending a1-f1 motif, which also clearly signalizes a return of the general mood of the Prelude.
The rhythmic variants at the end of b. 19 – see the note on b. 11 and 19.
Compare the passage in the sources »
category imprint: Graphic ambiguousness; Differences between sources; Corrections & alterations; Source & stylistic information
issues: Main-line changes
notation: Pitch