and No. 15, “The return Home” (storm).  Among the most noteworthy are:  the already-described No. 2; the sweetly-melancholy No. 3; the artistically more dignified No. 9; the popular No. 13; the weird No. 15; and the impressive, but, by its terrible monotony, also oppressive No. 17 ("Poland’s Dirge").  The mazurka movement and the augmented fourth degree of the scale (Nos. 2 and 4) present themselves, apart from the emotional contents, as the most strikingly-national features of these songs.  Karasowski states that many songs sung by the people in Poland are attributed to Chopin, chief among them one entitled “The third of May.”

I must not conclude this chapter without saying something about the editions of Chopin’s works.  The original French, German, and English editions all leave much to be desired in the way of correctness.  To begin with, the composer’s manuscripts were very negligently prepared, and of the German and the English, and even of the French edition, he did not always see the proofs; and, whether he did or not, he was not likely to be a good proof-reader, which presupposes a special talent, or rather disposition.  Indeed, that much in the preparation of the manuscripts for the press and the correction of the proofs was left to his friends and pupils may be gathered both from his letters and from other sources.  “The first comprehension of the piece,” says Schumann, in speaking of the German edition of the Tarantella, “is, unfortunately, rendered very difficult by the misprints with which it is really swarming.”  Those who assisted Chopin in the work incident to publication—­more especially by copying his autographs—­were Fontana, Wolff, Gutmann, and in later years Mikuli and Tellefsen.

Here I may fitly insert a letter written by Chopin to Maurice Schlesinger on July 22, 1843 (not 1836, as La Mara supposes), which has some bearing on the subject under discussion.  The Impromptu spoken of is the third, Op. 51, in G flat major:—­

Dear friend,—­In the Impromptu which you have issued with the paper [Gazette musicals] of July 9, there is a confusion in the paging, which makes my composition unintelligible.  Though I cannot at all pretend to taking the pains which our friend Moscheles bestows on his works, I consider myself, however, with regard to your subscribers, in duty bound to ask you on this occasion to insert in your next number an erratum:—­

Page 3—­read page 5. 
Page 5—­read page 3.

If you are too busy or too lazy to write to me, answer me through the erratum in the paper, and that shall signify to me that you, Madame Schlesinger, and your children are all well.  —­Yours very truly, July 22 [1843].  F. Chopin.

The first complete edition of Chopin’s works was, according to Karasowski, [footnote:  More recently the same firm brought out the works of Chopin edited by Jean Kleczynski.] that published in 1864, with the authorisation of the composer’s