, weak, tame, or
hurried. It is an old rule, "If you begin well and end well, all is
well." You ought to practise the skipping bass over and over again by
itself, otherwise it will not go. An incorrect or deficient bass,
without depth of tone and without accentuation, ruins every thing, even
the good temper of the hearer. One thing more: you know very well
Chopin's Nocturne in E flat, and have played it, among other things, for
the last four weeks. Suddenly you are called upon to play in company.
You choose this Nocturne because you have played it nearly every day for
four weeks. But alas! the piano fiends have come to confuse you! You
strike a false bass note, and at the modulation the weak little finger
touches too feebly: bah! the fundamental tone is wanting. You are
frightened, and grow still more so; your musical aunt is frightened
also; the blood rushes to your teacher's face, and I mutter to myself,
"_C'est toujours la meme._" The present style of skipping basses
requires a great deal of practice and perfect security; it is necessary
for you to know the piece by heart, in order to give your whole
attention to the left hand. It is also essential that you shall have
acquired a clear, sound touch; otherwise, you cannot give a delicate
accent and shading. You must never allow yourself, _without previous
preparation_, to play those pieces of music in company, in which an
elegant mode of execution is all-important; otherwise, you will be taken
by surprise by unexpected difficulties. You must always pay special
attention to the fundamental tones, even if there should be
imperfections elsewhere. Where one fault is less important than another,
of two evils choose the least. You have been playing now for six or
eight years: are you repaid for the trouble, if it only enables you to
prepare embarrassments for others? You are not willing to play easy,
insignificant pieces; and such pieces as you choose require industry,
earnestness, and perseverance.

* * * * *

Young ladies, it is easy to discover the character of a person from his
manner of standing, walking, moving, and speaking, from the way he bows,
puts on and takes off his hat, or the arrangements of the household; and
we seldom are in error about it. It is also possible to infer beforehand
how you will play and what sort of a performance you will give, from the
manner in which you take your seat at the piano. You sidle up to the
piano