EE1
Main text
GE - German edition
GE1 - First German edition
GE2 - Second German edition
FE - French edition
FE1 - First French edition
FE2 - Corrected impression of FE1
FES - Stirling copy
EE - English edition
EE1 - First English edition
EE2 - Corrected impression of EE1
EE3 - Revised impression of EE2
compare
  b. 168

b2-d3 in FE (→EE) & GE

b2, our alternative suggestion

This and the preceding bar were initially as follows in AImaz (we transpose them to the key of b. 226-227 of the final version):

Then, probably to avoid a B major chord being repeated four times at the beginning of b. 224-227, Chopin moved the modulation 2 crotchets back:

Eventually, in FE and GE, Chopin provided b. 226-227 with their final form, in which the enhanced harmonic sequence is combined with the initial version of the melody (more natural and more logical). Chopin most probably introduced that version only while writing [A] of the entire Polonaise. In this situation, it seems highly likely that a similar change was supposed to concern also b. 167-168, while the b2-d3 third at the beginning of b. 168, corresponding to the 2nd phase of works on this fragment, happened to be in the first editions due to Chopin not having finished corrections or due to misunderstandings. Some subsequent collective editions give the version with b2 as the only one.

Taking into account the above, in addition to the version of the editions, we suggest an alternative solution, analogous to b. 227.

Compare the passage in the sources »

category imprint: Editorial revisions

notation: Pitch

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Original in: Bodleian Library, Oxford