The D♭ major middle section turns four times into D major, a half step higher.
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Form
A theme over a B♭ pedalA′ theme, variedB D♭ major, sotto voceC over a D♭ pedalA″ theme, last timeCoda ends in B♭ major
Opening, bars 1–4 · B♭ minor
Section by section
A (1–8): the theme
Over a held B♭ in Chopin's bass, bars 1–4 swing between i and V⁷. Bars 5–7 move to D♭ (III) and G♭ (VI), which turns minor in bar 6.
A′ (9–18): the theme, varied
Bars 9–12 repeat the opening chords under new runs. Bar 13 reaches E♭ minor (iv) through B♭⁷, and bar 17 passes through C♭ major (♭II, the Neapolitan).
B (19–50): D♭ major
In bar 23, A⁷ turns the music a half step up to D major (I, IV, I); C♯°⁷ then leads back to D♭'s dominant in bar 26. The same turn comes four times.
C (51–70): over a D♭ pedal
Chopin's bass holds D♭ from bar 51 to 66. Then D♭ major takes a raised fifth, A, which rises to B♭ in bar 70 and brings back B♭ minor.
Coda (80–85): why it ends in B♭ major
A German sixth (C♭, E♭, G♭, A) sounds over a held B♭. In bar 84 E♭ falls to D natural while C♭ and A close onto B♭, so the last chord is B♭ major.
The PDF includes a full page of analysis.
