Book excerpt: This vintage book contains a guide to the rules and general principles of playing the piano. Originally taken from Matthay's digest “The Visible and Invisible”, it offers the new player a summary complete with simple explanations and expert tips. “An Epitome of the Laws of Pianoforte Technique” is highly recommended for those with an interest in either the piano or pianoforte, and it would make for a fantastic addition to musical collections. Contents include: “Introduction”, “Preamble”, “The Problem of Pianoforte Training”, “The Problem of Education in the Art of Tone-Production”, “The Problem of Muscular Education”, “The Final Problem: The Union of Execution With Conception”, “Conclusion, and Summary”, etc. Tobias Augustus Matthay (1858 – 1945) was an English pianist, composer, and teacher. He was taught composition while at the Royal Academy of Music by Arthur Sullivan and Sir William Sterndale Bennett, and he was instructed in the piano by William Dorrell and Walter Macfarren. Other notable works by this author include: “The Act Of Touch In All Its Diversity: An Analysis And Synthesis Of Pianoforte Tone Production” (1903), “The First Principles of Pianoforte Playing (1905)” and “Relaxation Studies” (1908). Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.