Notes Below The Staff (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781943829224)

Born in Chicago in 1926, the preeminent bass Herbert Beattie has worked with many of the great operatic lights of the 20th and 21st centuries. From singing in the most celebrated opera houses in the world to school gymnasiums in fishing villages in Alaska. In Notes Below The Staff Beattie gives us an always insightful and often hilarious taste of what it is like to earn one's living as a traveling opera singer. Not unlike the wandering bards of old, Beattie is a wellspring of amusing tales about both the mighty and the obscure characters he encountered along his path. This book is an open window onto a world both magical and absurd. Enjoy.