LH Rhythm in Fantaisie-Impromptu Coda -- Composition Reason

[vansh]

One of Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu's defining traits is the use of polyrhythms: triplets in the left hand matched with semiquavers in the right hand. I noticed today that in the coda, he instead has the left hand playing quavers. On a whim, I tried playing it in triplets instead, and found that it kind of continues the colored "feel" of the previous sections. Chopin most likely tried having the LH do triplets in this section, but instead chose to have the LH do quavers. Any speculation as to why?

My guess is that it's so the LH's thumb notes (E or F#) will match up with the RH accented notes rhythm-wise, but I don't know if this is a good explanation or not. At any rate, once you have the polyrhythm figured out, it's actually pretty straightforward to convert this part to have it. Was just curious about thoughts on this.

[j_menz]

It's an extended development of the two bars that end each of the A sections (before closing with a re-entry of the B theme). I doubt triplets were ever in Chopin's mind for this.

[pianist1976]

One of Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu's defining traits is the use of polyrhythms: triplets in the left hand matched with semiquavers in the right hand. I noticed today that in the coda, he instead has the left hand playing quavers. On a whim, I tried playing it in triplets instead, and found that it kind of continues the colored "feel" of the previous sections. Chopin most likely tried having the LH do triplets in this section, but instead chose to have the LH do quavers. Any speculation as to why?

My guess is that it's so the LH's thumb notes (E or F#) will match up with the RH accented notes rhythm-wise, but I don't know if this is a good explanation or not. At any rate, once you have the polyrhythm figured out, it's actually pretty straightforward to convert this part to have it. Was just curious about thoughts on this.

The most widely spread version of this work is based on an early manuscript from 1834. But there is another manuscript dated one year later with several subtle changes (maybe the definitive version, although with Chopin that word must be taken carefully, having also into account that this work was never published during the composer's lifetime...). One of the changes involves, as you rightly guessed, the coda: in this version the accompaniment goes by triplets, just as in the A theme.

This version is published by Jan Ekier, both in Wiener Urtext (four impromptus) and the PWM (not on the impromptus volume but on one of the "B" works, that is, posthumous works).