Compiled by Alwin Schroeder, a former cellist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and an experienced teacher, this collection of 80 exercises constitutes the first book of a three-volume set. Schroeder drew upon his extensive experience to create original études for instructing students, and in this work he combines them with several others by his distinguished nineteenth-century European colleagues: Karl Schröder. Ferdinand Büchler, Friedrich Dotzauer, Auguste Franchomme, Friedrich Grützmacher, and Sebastian Lee.

The carefully selected studies are arranged in order of increasing complexity, and Schroeder provides suggestions for fingering, bowing, and dynamics. Cello students and teachers will find these exercises a splendid resource for the improvement of technique and performance.