et processes of
the Krupp Gun Works in Germany would be trifling in comparison. Genuine
worth is, after all, the great essential, and thorough preparation leads
to genuine worth. For instance, I have long felt that the mental technic
that the study of Bach's inventions and fugues afford could not be
supplied by any other means. The peculiar polyphonic character of these
works trains the mind to recognize the separate themes so ingeniously
and beautifully interwoven and at the same time the fingers receive a
kind of discipline which hardly any other study can secure.

"The layman can hardly conceive how difficult it is to play at the same
time two themes different in character and running in opposite
directions. The student fully realizes this difficulty when he finds
that it takes years to master it. These separate themes must be
individualized; they must be conceived as separate, but their bearing
upon the work as a whole must never be overlooked.

"The purity of style to be found in Bach, in connection with his
marvelous contrapuntal designs, should be expounded to the student at as
early an age as his intellectual development will permit. It may take
some time to create a taste for Bach, but the teacher will be rewarded
with results so substantial and permanent that all the trouble and time
will seem well worth while.

"There is also a refining influence about which I would like to speak.
The practice of Bach seems to fairly grind off the rough edges, and
instead of a raw, bungling technic the student acquires a kind of
finish from the study of the old master of Eisenach that nothing else
can give him.

"I do not mean to be understood that the study of Bach, even if it be
ever so thorough, suffices in itself to give one a perfect technic.
Vastly more is necessary. The student who would fit himself for a
concert career must have the advice of a great teacher and must work
incessantly and conscientiously under his guidance. I emphasize the
study of Bach merely because I find it is not pursued as much as it
deserves. That technical finish is of the very essence of success in
public appearance, goes without saying. It is not only indispensable for
a creditable performance, but the consciousness of possessing it
contributes to that confidence of the player without which he cannot
hope to make an impression upon his audience.

LESCHETIZKY AND 'METHOD'

"Speaking about teachers reminds me to put forth this caution: