John Thomas was the eldest of seven children, four of whom became harpists. His father, also named John Thomas, was a tailor by trade, but he was a good amateur musician who played clarinet in the town band. Little John wanted to play the harp and an old one was obtained for him. This was a Welsh triple harp and John Thomas was playing it in traditional style (with his left hand playing the treble and his right hand playing the bass) when he won a new Bassett Jones triple harp at the Eisteddfod organised by Lady Llanover at Abergavenny in October 1838. John Thomas went to London. He learned to speak English and he re-learned his harp technique, abandoning the triple harp for one of Erard’s grand new pedal harps, and changing from the traditional Welsh method he had been taught, transferring the harp to his right shoulder, so that now his right hand played the treble and his left hand played the bass. He later acquired the title of Harpist to the Queen and became harpist to the Royal Italian Opera. John Thomas composed, arranged and published a vast amount of music, especially music for the harp. The four studies selected for this volume include his unique Study for the Left Hand, and are taken from the series of 12 which he composed between 1863 and 1868.