Dame Nellie Melba (1861-1931) was one of the most famous sopranos of her time. Born in Australia, Melba began her training in Melbourne but moved to Europe in 1882 to start her career. She found success in Brussels as Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto and was soon well known throughout the continent's opera houses. She debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1893. Her repertoire extended over twenty-five roles, and she was regarded as unmatched in ten of these, continuing to perform throughout her life, in concert recitals as well as in opera, to great acclaim, and becoming one of the earliest modern 'celebrities'. In this autobiography, published in 1925, Melba describes her childhood and her journey from the 'great Australian Bush' to the bright lights of the European and American stage, while also giving a colourful, first-hand account of the world of opera.

The A Z of String Players surveys the lives, careers and recordings of over 300 string players from the past and present. Many great string players who have made recordings are included, from Accardo to Zukerman. The text covers artists from the earliest recording processes to contemporary, cutting-edge technology. In this clear and straight-forward publication, the artists are listed alphabetically, with a summary of their career, notable recordings, biography and critical appraisal of their recorded legacy. In addition, four compact discs present a selection of recordings from 69 artists. This package will appeal to enthusiast and scholar alike as a readable, informed and fascinating work of reference.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone