"The object of this work is to furnish the beginners with as easy an introduction as possible to the art of playing the pianoforte. It is intended for children, even of the tenderest age, and the progression has therefore been made as gradual as was possible within the limits of the work. From this it will be clear that an exhaustive treatment of all the difficulties, ornaments, etc., does not lie within the scope of this school, which is not meant to be more than an elementary instruction to furnish the pupil with material for practice during his first, and perhaps second year. There is, it is believed, room for a work of this kind which may also be used by musical parents in preparing their children for the professional master." (Preface by Ferdinand Beyer, 1901)