Waltz in G-flat Major, Op. 70-1, Posthumous Publication

Basic Work Information

Composition Year: 1832 Publication Year: 1855 (Paris, Berlin)

Score Collection Information

• Paderewski Edition: No.11 (Fontana Edition)
• Ekier Edition: (WN42) Nos. [B]-6a, [B]-6b, [B]-6c
• Cortot Edition: No.11
• Henle Edition: No.11a [based on autograph], No.11b [Fontana Edition]
• Peters Edition (Urtext): (No.14a [based on 1832 autograph], No.14b [based on 1833 autograph])

There are three versions of the score: two autograph manuscripts and a revised edition by Fontana, which was used for the first publication (it is also thought that an autograph manuscript from around 1835 might have existed). The autograph manuscript inscribed "Paris, 8/8, [18]32" is considered the earliest. Another autograph manuscript bears the date 1833. The three scores differ significantly in terms of rhythm. Particularly in the autograph manuscripts, the dotted rhythm of the opening anacrusis is characteristic, whereas in the Fontana edition, it has been changed entirely to a series of eighth notes. Furthermore, while the 1833 autograph manuscript frequently uses dotted rhythms, the 1832 autograph manuscript employs more crisp dotted rhythms interspersed with sixteenth rests. This is a rhythm characteristic of a mazurka, suggesting that Chopin likely initially composed this waltz with a mazurka-like sensibility. Due to performance difficulties, it is thought that the rhythm gradually transformed from simple dotted rhythms to eighth notes. However, it is unclear to what extent Chopin's intentions are incorporated into the posthumously published Fontana edition.

August 1832 was a period when Chopin, having completed his Parisian concert debut (February 26), was still in a financially difficult situation and struggling to establish himself in Paris. Subsequently, Chopin was invited to Baron Rothschild's salon and gave piano lessons to his wife and daughters, which led to the establishment of his livelihood as a piano instructor among the upper class. The existence of multiple autograph manuscripts also reflects Chopin's process of trial and error in the waltz genre, incorporating his experiences gained from frequenting salons and high society.

The structure consists of four musical ideas, each 8 measures long, connected in an A-a-B-b-B-A pattern, including repetitions. The central section B, which is a highlight, featured a light, skipping rhythm with sixteenth rests in the 1832 autograph manuscript, but in the Fontana edition, it has entirely transformed into smooth dotted rhythms. Tempo indications such as Meno mosso (slower) and cantabile (singing) were also added, transforming it into an elegant dance. This process likely influenced the subsequent composition of the Waltz, Op. 18. With the Waltz, Op. 18, first published in Paris, Chopin's position in high society became firmly established.       (2010.2. Tomoko Yasukawa)