nt than precept. The
student might easily learn this book "by heart" and yet be unable to
play a perfect scale. Let him remember the words of Locke:

"Men of much reading are greatly learned: but may be little knowing."

After all, the virtuoso is great because he really knows and W-O-R-K-S.

PEPITO ARRIOLA

BIOGRAPHICAL

Pepito Arriola was born on the 14th of December, 1897. A careful
investigation of his ancestry reveals that no less than twelve of his
forefathers and relations have been pronouncedly musical. His father was
a physician, but his mother was a musician. His early musical training
was given to him exclusively by his mother. The following was prepared
when he was twelve years old and at that time he was apparently a
perfectly healthy child, with the normal activity of a boy of his age
and with a little more general education in addition to his music than
the average child at fifteen or sixteen possesses. He spoke French,
German (fluently) and Spanish, but little English. Despite the fact that
he had received numerous honors from European monarchs and famous
musicians, he was exceptionally modest. In his playing he seemed never
to miss a note in even very complicated compositions and his musical
maturity and point of view were truly astonishing. The following is
particularly valuable from an educational standpoint, because of the
absolute unaffectedness of the child's narrative of his own training.

(The following conference was conducted in German and French.)

[Illustration: PEPITO ARRIOLA]

III

THE STORY OF A WONDER CHILD

PEPITO ARRIOLA

MY EARLIEST RECOLLECTIONS

So much that was of interest to me was continually occurring while I was
a child that it all seems like a kind of haze to me. I cannot remember
when I first commenced to play, for my mother tells me that I wanted to
reach out for the keyboard before I was out of her arms. I have also
learned that when I was about two and one-half years of age, I could
quite readily play after my mother anything that the size of my hand
would permit me to play.

I loved music so dearly, and it was such fun to run over the keyboard
and make the pretty sounds, that the piano was really my first and best
toy. I loved to hear my mother play, and continually begged her to play
for me so that I could play the same pieces after her. I knew nothing of
musical notation and played entirely by ear, which seemed to me the most
natural