Notes Below The Staff

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.

Readers of this book are in for a treat—a small dose of what it’s like to have lunch with Herb Beattie, to hear his stories and enjoy the freshness and breadth of a remarkable life. I’ve heard virtually all of these stories out loud, and reading them now in print I can promise you that he has caught the rhythms, humor, and intelligence of his oral storytelling perfectly. If you love music, you’ll be amazed by the names—in a long career, Herb worked with many of the most significant classical musicians of the twentieth century.