[ePub] Brother James's Air: Vocal score by Mack Wilberg at Arts-Photography

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Book from which to learn with pleasureBy drkhimxzI can only add my bravos and vigorous hand clapping to the substantially articulated positive reviews this book received. It is clearly articulated in simple prose with a profound measure. Being an opera singer (or; for that matter; any serious worker in the art of creating music of a superior level) is hard work; whether one is of the few who attain great success; of the larger group who are successful; and of the majority who fall by the wayside or work at the less rewarding fringe of the profession. Among the most frightening aspects of having ones voice as his/her instrument is the constant fear that it will not respond as it should. Playing a trumpet; violin or piano has its risks as well....but; only occasionally does the instrument fail in circumstances where no remedy is readily available to fix it or find an alternative. With the voice; particularly with the enormous demands that an opera makes upon it; there is always a risk that; no matter ones level of mastery; it can falter or even fail; in the midst of playing the assigned role that day. This book; both a pleasure to read and a treasure of knowledge; mostly; but not entirely; about a group of singers in training; investigates what training at an excellent facility strives both to create the mastery....and also the confidence...to meet both the stress of performance but also the sometimes much greater stress; of finding professional venues in which to practice ones craft and earn a living thereby.So; this is not only a book for opera lovers but one for anyone concerned with highly skilled crafts in which the supply of potential applicants is considerably greater than the availability of rewarding work. Oh; yes; as an interesting aside; he gives us some perspective on those who have made it; the "sacred monsters" of the title.....the Pavarottis of the opera world whose opportunities for lucrative and rewarding employment allow them to reverse the order of dominance found among the lesser fish in the pond....they can demand the price and authority to which the latter must also bow.Read it; enjoy and learn.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Informative; fun; educational; personableBy Aanel Victoria(By the way; "sacred monster" is a term coined by Jean Cocteau in 1940; to refer to divas and celebrities whose renown and fame or greatness so exceeds the bounds of normalcy that one forgives them everything; even horrible behavior.)This fascinating book covers; among other things; a year in the life of Lyric Opera of Chicago (one of the two best; if not the best; opera company in the U.S. -- yes; its sometimes better than the Met). In particular; it follows one year in the lives of 12 young (20-something) singers in the operas very prestigious training program: the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists. In addition; the multi-chaptered and multi-faceted book also takes us on many side operatic journeys as well. Murray; a prestigious journalist and author and a former professional opera singer himself; is uniquely suited to chronicle this comprehensive study of opera performance and production. He has a wonderful; very engaging "you are there" style of writing that sucks you in right away. I loved all of it; and in particular I appreciated the 15-page very revealing and intimate biography of Pavarotti; whom Murray knew well.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Good ReadBy John T. BandyI thoroughly enjoyed this book. Mr. Murray had a very readable style. He had an obvious love for his subject. You should read this book. Youll be glad you did.