ショパンがピアノ協奏曲を書いた十九世紀序盤に、このジャンルの音楽は今日とは異なるやりかたで出版されていた。フル・オーケストラで演奏するための、全パート譜の揃ったセットのほか、弦楽器とピアノの声部だけの「部分販売」セットがしばしば販売されていた。こうして当時のピアノ協奏曲は、出版されると同時に、ピアノ付き室内楽、つまり管打楽器なしで演奏できる音楽になっていた。それはこのジャンルが、家庭やサロンで、より気楽に楽しめる音楽として存在し得たことを意味している。Around 1830, at the time of the composition of Chopin's famous piano concertos, there was a unique practice of publishing music for sale. Not only whole parts set for a full orchestra, but also smaller parts set for a piano sextet or quintet without winds, could be purchased. It was therefore possible, if there were a pianist and some string players, to play piano concertos at salons or private rooms, probably in a relaxed atmosphere. For concertgoers of today, it is a little bit difficult to imagine a piano concerto performance in such a manner. Today piano concertos are performed at big concert halls for a silent audience that understands it as an art form. In Chopin's time a concerto performance was not so "serious." For example, the audience was talking and applauded after a favorite phrase, even if the soloist was playing the piano concerto at an orchestral concert hall. The performance was understood as entertainment. The edition of Chopin's piano concertos for a piano sextet, based on their first editions of the 1830's, will enable musicians to perform these concertos with a small ensemble in an intimate circumstance, which is essential for understanding them and the genre of that time.