Main text
Main text
AsI - Working autograph of score
A - Autograph fair copy
GE - German edition
GE1 - First German edition
GE2 - Corrected impression of GE1
GE3 - Second German edition
FE - French edition
FE1 - First French edition
FE2 - Corrected impression of FE1
FESB - Later French edition
EE - English edition
EE1 - First English edition
EE2 - Corrected impression of EE1
EE3 - Revised impression of EE2
compare
  b. 319

d2 & d1 in sources

d2 & d1, possible alternative interpretation

One can ponder whether Chopin did not forget to put a  restoring d2(1) to the middle note of the penultimate triplet (in both bars). A possible oversight is supported by the use of b(1) in the previous semiquaver:

  • the unnatural orthography of the C major chord suggests that it was already c1(2) that Chopin considered to be a chord tone here, which signals the return to the principal key, that is B major;
  • on a number of occasions, it was clear to Chopin that raising the bottom note of a third implied a parallel movement of the top note – typical examples are the beginnings of the Introduction (bar 2), variation V (bar 255) or bar 292. In the discussed situation b(1) would therefore point to d1(2), and not d1(2);
  • overlooked cancellation of alterations generally belongs to Chopin's most frequent mistakes, as, e.g. in the aforementioned bars 291-292.

Nevertheless, the first of the above arguments, harmonic, could be easily challenged – the chords on the 5th and 6th quavers, e1-g1-c2 and f-c1-e1-a1, do not determine the mode on their own, B major or B minor. On the other hand, the remaining two arguments only prove that Chopin's possible mistake is likely, which does not prove that the composer actually committed it. Taking into account the fact that the literal interpretation – d2(1) – results in a version that does not go beyond the Chopinesque style, in the main text we leave the source version. 

Compare the passage in the sources »

category imprint: Editorial revisions; Source & stylistic information

issues: Omissions to cancel alteration, Errors of A

notation: Pitch

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