How is this note meant to be played?

[pcaraganis]

Can someone please help me understand the purpose of the circled B half-note in the first measure of this piece (Schumann's Waldszenen, no. 1)?

Is this meant to be played on the [edit: third] beat of the first measure (i.e., at the same time as the two quarter notes immediately to its right)? And if so, is the purpose of that just to indicate that the B should be sustained through the end of the measure? If so, why is it necessary to also have the quarter note B? Is this something to do with indicating the different voices?

Thanks!

[brogers70]

In short: Yes, play it at the same time as the dotted quarters it's next to. Yes, it's just to show that the B should be sustained to the end of the measure. Yes, it's written that way to make the different voices clear to the eye.

[pcaraganis]

Perfect, thank you!

[lettersquash]

In short: Yes, play it at the same time as the dotted quarters it's next to. Yes, it's just to show that the B should be sustained to the end of the measure. Yes, it's written that way to make the different voices clear to the eye.

Could you elaborate on these different voices, please? I've not come across this kind of score before. I thought I'd figured out that where there are different voices, their notes (i.e. in each voice) have to obey the 'tyranny of the bar', so their time values add up to the time signature, including rests specific to each voice. Am I wrong? Because this minim seems to just pop up out of nowhere - which other notes belong to the same voice, and which don't?