WATCHING THE ARTIST TEACHER AT WORK


One of the first things accomplished after my arrival in London was to
seek out Tobias Matthay, the composer and teacher, for an echo of his
fame had reached me across the water.

Matthay has done much to make the principles of piano technic so clear
and simple that even a child can understand them. If he has stated facts
in a way which seems to some revolutionary it is because these facts are
seldom understood by the rank and file of piano teachers. The work he
has done has compelled attention and admiration; his ideas are now
accepted as undeniable truths by those who at first repudiated them. The
writings of Mr. Matthay will doubtless be better known in America a
little later on than they are at present. They consist in part of an
exhaustive work on _The Act of Touch in all its Diversity; First
Principles of Piano Playing; Relaxation Studies; The Child's First Steps
in Piano Playing; The Principles of Fingering and Laws of Pedaling;
Forearm Rotation Principle;_ and, in press, _The Principles of Teaching
Interpretation_. These very titles are inspiring and suggestive, and
show Matthay to be a deep thinker along educational lines.

[Illustration: Cordially Yours, Tobias Matthay]

Matthay's activities are enormous. He is professor of advanced piano
playing at the Royal Academy of Music; also founder and head of his own
school of piano playing. So occupied early and late is he, that it is
almost impossible to get a word with him. I was fortunate enough,
however, to obtain an hour's audience, and also permission to attend