PLAYING WITH COURAGE
A BIOGRAPHY OF VIOLA TUNNARD
with a foreword by Dame Janet Baker

JANET ANDERSON 

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In her foreword, Dame Janet Baker remarks that there is in music 'a largely unsung group of heroes consisting of coaches and accompanists who guide singers through the difficulties of learning and repertoire. They are brilliant musicians and teachers, who show us the pitfalls, lick us into shape and prepare us for stage rehearsals. It is a privilege to acknowledge my debt to one of the most respected and beloved of them, Viola Tunnard'.

Known as 'the musician's musician', she was a distinguished pianist in her own right and her career spanned some forty years. 

She worked tirelessly on ENSA tours throughout England and abroad with Joyce Grenfell during World War Two; she was a colleague of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears and was vital to the success of many Covent Garden and Aldeburgh Festival productions.

Viola Tunnard died of motor neurone disease in 1974. This well-deserved biography charts the extraordinary life of a gifted musician who gave so much to the music she loved. Scattered throughout are the reminiscences of so many of the great artists with whom she worked and to whom she gave her help and encouragement. 

112pp, 210 x 148mm, hardback, jacketed, illustrated
£15.00 Order