Kathleen: The Life of Kathleen Ferrier 1912-1953

by Maurice Leonard

Kathleen Ferrier has a reputation as the greatest lyric contralto of the twentiety century. Her story, from her humble beginnings as a telephone operator in Blackburn to the height of international fame as one of the world's leading concert artists and her untimely death at the age of forty-one, is told told with compelling insight and perception, using a variety of sources, from photographs, diaries, and private letters to the memoirs and recollections of those who knew her best. Despite having no formal musical training, Kathleen worked with all the celebrated conductors of the time, and is remembered for her performances of music by Brahms, Schubert and Mahler, as well as a handful of operatic roles. Enlarging considerably on many alternative biographies, this excellent account captures the warmth, humour and charm of a figure whose astonishing life and career proved to be, sadly, all too brief.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book about twenty years ago and have just finished reading it again. I have read all the other glowing memoirs about Kathleen Ferrier and found this book more balanced than the earlier ones, possibly because the writer was not personally acquainted with her and was able to be more impartial about her life and career.

It is remarkable, but hardly surprising, that Kathleen Ferrier rose to prominence in such a short time and very sad that her career was cut so short by illness. She had a unique voice, great musical ability and personal attributes as a concert performer, and Maurice Leonard brings these attributes out in his biography, although he does not ignore the difficulties she had with acting and movement.

She bore her illness bravely and cheerfully and, until near the end of her life, was convinced that she would recover and resume her career again. How sad that this was not to be.

I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a well-rounded biography of this wonderful singer's life.

[Lynne King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was listening to Stars de Classique on the French radio the other day where the presenter covers one individual during 1 h 30 mins, be it a composer, opera singer, pianist, etc. and the name Kathleen Ferrier came up, an English classical singer who had a brilliant career but it was very short as she died at the age of 41 (1912 - 1953).

I was so fascinated by this that I immediately ordered the book from Amazon and it arrived two days later. I couldn't put the book down. It covered her early life where she showed great talent as a pianist and then as a singer but her parents couldn't afford to send her for musical training and she ended up as a telephonist. She paid for private lessons, started singing at recitals around the Bolton area, then got a London agent and her career took off. She wasn't interested in operas apart from Gluck's Orfeo and Euridice which she became famous for.

During the Second World War she also sang to the troops. She took great pleasure in this as there were many local songs that she had enjoyed from her childhood and still continued to sing.

Following her career pathway was absolutely spellbinding. This has to be one of my favourite biographies.

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

My parents loved Kathleen Ferrier's voice. I grew up hearing her music played frequently, and came to love it myself. However I knew little about Kathleen herself and the kind of person she was.

I continued to love her voice for many years after her untimely death, and when I found this book in a second hand book store I was delighted. I looked forward immensely to reading it and learning about the 'woman behind the voice'. I hoped as the book was not written by a member of Kathleen's family or a personal friend, it would give an in depth and balanced portrait of her.

Unfortunately, having plodded through the book I learned very little about the woman herself, as the author has given us a minutely detailed and lengthy account of the facts of her career, and not much else.

Excerpts of some of Kathleen's letters to her sister are reproduced in the book, but they stand forlornly without a proper context of anecdotes from those who knew her, and provide no insight into her personality, and I am just as much in the dark as before.

Overall I have to say I was fairly disappointed with this book. I hoped for better things from the author.

[Anne Depaulis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. K.F. comes alive throughout the book and, of course, one feels very sad at the end. What a wonderful character she obviously was on top of being an exceptional singer. It's interesting to realize that she was a very cheerful, humorous and easy-going person, quite the opposite of the repertoire she sang so well.

[John Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always loved her voice. Having read this I think I can love it even more as I now know much more about the lovely, warm human being who housed it. Tremendously interesting, very moving and humbling. What a woman, what a voice. What courage and what a legacy she left us. Very well written.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Randomly picked up, and what a find! I did find Kathleen Ferrier very interesting to read about.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly inspirational person.