Having trouble deciding what new books to buy

[jwchopin]

I am in RCM Grade 6 and I want to buy more music books, but I don't know what editions! Also, I would prefer not to expensive.

I already have the Schirmer Chopin Complete Preludes, Nocturnes, and Waltzes, but now I hear Schirmer is bad (and yes I have found wrong notes), but it's so cheap!
I am looking to buy Chopin Mazurkas and Mozart Sonatas.

For the Mozart Sonatas I am going with Presser as it is cheap and although not urtext, is edited well. Is this a good choice?
For the mazurkas I have no idea. Schirmer's comes with Polonaises as well which would be awesome but again, I heard Schirmer is not so good. Henle Verlag seems great but a little pricy but I'm not sure where to get it as they don't ship it. I can't seem to find anywhere any Paderewski or other editions. Alfred is another cheap one but I don't know if it is good.

So in summary;
1) Is my mozart sonatas a good choice
2) What edition should I get for Chopin Mazurkas
3) Where do I buy Henle
4) Should I start using other editions for the preludes, nocturnes, and waltzes instead of Schirmer?

Thanks.
 

[j_menz]

It depends a little on what you are planning on using them for. If it's just to have and play through for enjoyment/education, or to follow along to recordings then any of the cheaper editions is good value. In the standard repertoire, faults are minimal and you really don't need a three page editorial discussion on whether a note should be sharp or natural.  Schirmer is generally fine for that, as are Dover and Presser. Alfred's is, in my experience, a bit of a mixed bag, and Kalmus should be a last resort unless you get one of the older red covered ones.

If you are going to study a piece for an exam or an audition, it may be a worthwhile investment to upgrade at that point to one of the pricier editions.

A word of caution about "Urtext" - at the pricier end it's a word you'll see bandied about often. In the best editions, it means that all editorial decisions are noted, and any editorial markings are distinguishable.  Sometimes it's useful, most of the time it's really not.  And quite often it is used without actually meaning anything. I find a cheaper edition, with a little research on IMSLP and a judicious use of the pen, will work for pretty much anything.  That said, I have editions by pretty much every possible publisher in my collection.

[quantum]

In many cases I would not recommend Schirmer for any composer.  For many popular Schirmer volumes still in print, what many do not realize is that they have actually passed into public domain and can be legally downloaded off the net for free.  

Alfred is generally safe.  I've detected a few glitches in the Alfred Chopin Etudes, but they are minor.  Not too much to worry about.

If you can get the Paderewski that would be great.  Older Dover books (not current printings) used to reprint the Paderewski.  If you can find them, it would be a good buy.  

For Mozart you are in luck.  The entire contents of the New Mozart-Edition is available online for free.  This is the current authoritative scholarly edition for Mozart's works.  They are also available in print under Bärenreiter.  
https://dme.mozarteum.at/DME/main/index.php?l=2

Have you tried searching Amazon for Henle?
https://www.amazon.com/Piano-Sonatas-Volume-I-Beethoven/dp/B003AGXNNW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395195217&sr=8-1&keywords=henle+beethoven

Have you looked at a Gold membership?