[Gutenberg 32980] • Confessions of an Opera Singer

*Confessions of an Opera Singer* by Kathleen Howard is a real life account of the author's experiences as an American opera singer who opted for a career in music over a conventional marriage arrangement expected of women in her generation during the turn of the 20th century.

Published in 1918, this title is narrated in first person, with the author putting forward this book as a "human document" in which she reveals her trials and tribulations in her pursuit of success in the world of music, as well as a closer look at the life of an opera singer behind the stage curtains. Her objective in sharing her story is not only for aspiring singers to learn valuable lessons from her experience, but also for non-singing citizens and dream chasers to learn from.

Ms. Howard's writing style is conversational, straightforward, and free flowing, as if she was a good friend of yours dropping by for an afternoon to confide in you with her insightful and intriguing accounts of her experiences(with the inevitable behind-the-scenes gossip added for good measure). She hooks the reader in with an engaging first paragraph, jumping right away into her story without going through convoluted and flowery introductions.

She largely begins her account with her first formal foray into vocal training and singing in New York and her subsequent transfers to France and then Germany, where she stayed the longest. She ends her account upon her return to America, where she met and married her husband and finally attained her dream - singing at the Metropolitan Opera. All's well that ends well for this brave singing heroine!