A great many of the pupils who have come to me indicate a lamentable
neglect in an understanding of the very first things which should have
been analyzed by the preparatory teachers. It is an expensive process to
study with a public artist unless the preparation has been thoroughly
made. Reputation naturally places a higher monetary value upon the
services of the virtuoso, and for the student to expect instruction in
elementary points in analysis is obviously an extravagance. The
virtuoso's time during the lesson period should be spent in the finer
study of interpretation--not in those subjects which the elementary
teacher should have completed. Often the teacher of an advanced pupil is
deceived at the start and assumes that the pupil has a knowledge, which
future investigations reveal that he does not possess.

"For instance, the pupil should be able to determine the general
structure of a piece he is undertaking and should be so familiar with
the structure that it becomes a form of second nature to him. If the
piece is a sonata he should be able to identify the main theme and the
secondary theme whenever they appear or whenever any part of them
appears. Inability to do this indicates the most superficial kind of
study.

"The student should know enough of the subject of form in general to
recognize the periods into which the piece is divided. Without this
knowledge how could he possibly expect to study with understanding?
Even though he has passed the stage when it is necessary for him to mark
off the periods, he should not study a new piece without observing the
outlines--the architectural plans the composer laid down in constructing
the piece. It is one thing for a Sir Christopher Wren to make the plans
of a great cathedral like St. Paul's and quite another thing for him to
get master builders to carry out those plans. By studying the composer's
architectural plan carefully the student will find that he is saving an
immense amount of time. For example, let us consider the Chopin _F Minor
Fantasie_. In this composition the main theme comes three times, each
time in a different key. Once learned in one key, it should be very
familiar in the next key.

"The student should also know something of the history of the dance, and
he should be familiar with the characteristics of the different national
dances. Each national dance form has something more than a rhythm--it
has an atmosphere. The word atmosphere may be a little