 The last famous set of cello etudes to be published were the David Popper "High School of Cello Playing" which were published almost a hundred years previously.In the introduction to "Ten American Cello Etudes", Minsky speaks about how in the past composers were able to bend music in order to reflect their time period and country.He argues that certain instruments like the guitar and bass were able to make the transition into modern popular music while the cello was assigned a "dignified yet restricted" role.