I am Melba

by Ann Blainey

Rare book

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

408 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Hermien · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very pleasant and interesting read, especially following Melba's life set against world events.

[Hazel Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well constructed and researched biography which provided the context for the opera singer's life. Makes the reader appreciate the physical challenges of the constant singing and extended travelling, but also the social context.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started out very energetically and covered a lot of ground. Well worth the first half or a little more of the read. Couldn't wait to get back to it. Then it became tedious, the author just went round and round with her tours year afer year in detail, Paris, London, US and when she did them Australian tours on repeat over and over again for several chapters. Much of this could have been consolidated. And there was very little about the end of her life, yet relatives are still alive, I toured her house (still owned by family) in Lilydale, VIC and would have loved more pictures and more tales of that. Her garden is renown, she had racing horses and a stable, that was hardly mentioned, and there is a fabulous line trees that had some meaning on the property. And what happened to her son? There seemed little closure.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read about an amazing Australian. Am not a fan of opera but this biography of Nellie Melba was quite fascinating reading.

[Rochelle Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible insight into an amazing talent and astute business woman. An inspirational leader who was well and truly ahead of her time.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am Melba is one of the listed books in the State Library Summer Read, and apart from The Zookeeper’s War which is on the ANZLL schedule for February, it’s the last one I intend to tackle before voting. (The others just don’t appeal). I am Melba is of interest for other reasons too: it’s useful background research for the memoir I am writing of Valda Johnstone, piano teacher of my childhood and one of Australia’s first ‘home-grown’ concert pianists and accompaniste to the stars.

In her last years in a nursing home, Valda’s mind was as alert as ever, and she was bored. By chance, a program on Radio National taught me that the elderly need three things to feel contented: something to do; someone to love and something to look forward to. This last is hard to provide, but I hit upon the idea of helping Valda to tell the story of her career, and she agreed. It became, for both of us, the highlight of my visits. Ever the performer, she would announce my arrival with voice recorder and laptop in hand to her fellow residents and the staff, and she loved it all: the interviews, reading and correcting the drafts, and identifying the photos that should accompany the text.

And so it was, that (with her permission) I ventured into her home in Melby Avenue to locate the photos of various celebrities that formed part of her professional life. Amongst them was an autographed photo of Dame Nellie Melba, Australia’s Queen of Song, with two of her protégés, Browning Mummery and John Browning. (Valda gave her permission to donate the photo to the State Library of Victoria because it was deteriorating badly, as you can see from a catalogue search at the SLV, but they have done a beautiful job of restoring it.) Valda wasn’t born till 1914, but both her parents were prominent musicians in New Zealand, and when they moved to Melbourne in 1918 they quickly became part of Melbourne’s classical music scene. They were not there at the time of the infamous visit in 1902 when Melburnians turned on Melba and she swore ‘never to return’ (p222) but she relented, made frequent visits and spent her last years here – so there was plenty of opportunity for them to meet and to receive the photograph.

Valda was much too young to pay any attention to the sorrows of World War I, but it affected Melba deeply. She lost many friends on the battlefields, and five of her relations were killed at Gallipoli. Surprisingly perhaps, she was a supporter of conscription in Australia, but was also an active fundraiser, so much so that she was christened ‘The Queen of Pickpockets’ (p283).

It was during the war years when she was marooned in Australia by the war, that she became a supporter of the Albert St Conservatorium, giving lessons to aspiring singers of bel canto. Previously she had been a generous supporter of the rival Conservatorium at the University of Melbourne, setting up classes in 1909, raising funds through concert performances and giving her name to Melba Hall. However a change of professorship there led to a change of allegiance, a factor which contributed to the Albert St Conservatorium surviving longer than it otherwise might have.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2009/01/06/i...

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book with trepidation as I really wondered about the relevance of Melba today, after all she was a star at the turn of the last century and died in 1931. In fact it was a tenuous family connection that started me reading as my Uncle Frank managed their property Coombe Cottage at Coldstream during World War 2, as he ran a dairy farm quite close by and that was over a decade after Melba had passed away. As well as learning that Melba was one of the world's first super stars and she was revered (and criticised) by her fellow Australians, the book contains absorbing side information about the food, fashions and lifestyles in a world that was transitioning from horse drawn to automotive power, ships were the only means of inter-continental travel and even telecommunications between countries was primitive. In fact, one aspect of regret is that recording technology was in its infancy and a result Melba was never recorded in her prime. Author Anne Blamey's research is prodigious and I like the fact that if she reached a situation where different sources disagreed with an incident or situation, she took the reader into her confidence and argued the case for her interpretation. Its a book that I greatly enjoyed and a warning that if you start reading it is addictive and you'll find it hard to put down.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography brings Melba to life in a way no others have for me. Rich in intimate and every-day details, the book unfolds her rise to mega-stardom and the foundations of her enduring status as an Australian icon. My own criticism is the dearth of photographs, although even that may have been explained by the writer. Brava, Ann Blainey!

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never really known anything about Dame Nellie Melba, and when I saw this book in a book fair I decided to buy it. I found the story of her life quite fascinating, both wonderful and tragic. Parts of the book were a bit slow, but the rest was great.

[Lorraine Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I found her life interesting I did struggle to read it. It got a bit tedious and I found I liked her less as the book went on.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know anything of significance about Dame Nellie Melba and after reading this book she was a character larger than life. Full of strength and determination, wit and presence, a flirt, an incredible voice, full of energy and spirit yet also fragile. Very well traveled for her era, generous and passionate. The author goes to great lengths to dispel some of the myths that surround such a famous lady.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book - what a woman of determination and intelligence and ahead of her time. What a sensation if she'd had all the advantages of our modern recording technologies - greatness beyond imagination, when it comes to voice.