Beatrice and the Nightingale - Hardcover

by Patricia Newman (Author), Isabelle Follath (Illustrator)

In 1924, an audience of more than one million listeners across the world listened in amazement to the first live radio broadcast of a nightingale accompanying the young cellist Beatrice Harrison.

On May 19, 1924, a duet between a young cellist and a nightingale was broadcast across the British Commonwealth as far away as Canada, India, and Australia to over one million listeners. It was an unprecedented collective experience made possible by the invention of the radio and a new microphone that picked up sounds of nature.

Beatrice Harrison, one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century, showed a singular dedication to music from a very early age. Attending her first concert when she was only eighteen months old, Beatrice was bewitched by the sound of the cello and immediately began asking to play it. When she was eight, she got her first cello, and her family traveled the world so she could study with the best teachers, and her career began to take off.

One evening while practicing her cello in the garden, Beatrice heard a creature repeating the music she was playing--a nightingale! Night after night, she played together with the bird, completely enthralled.

Wanting to share the experience, she convinced the head of the BBC to take a chance on a live broadcast from her garden. The resulting duet was a smashing success, and Beatrice became known as the Lady of the Nightingales.

This biography shares the fascinating story behind a broadcast that became an annual tradition, and highlights the way art, technology, and nature can work together to create new and lasting beauty. Young musicians and birders alike will be inspired by this incredible story!

Author Biography

About the Author

PATRICIA NEWMAN wants us all to know that we are part of nature. As a Robert F. Sibert Honor recipient, she empowers us to find our own connections to nature and encourages us to use our imaginations to make the world a better place. Patricia's love of nature and her own efforts to play piano seemed the ideal backdrop for this story about the intersection of nature, music, and STEM subjects.

Patricia frequently speaks at schools and conferences to share how children of any age can affect change. She is creating a teacher's guide to accompany this book.

ISABELLE FOLLATH is a freelance illustrator living in Zurich, Switzerland with her husband and daughter. Having worked for advertising agencies, fashion magazines and book publishers for over 15 years, her true passion lies in illustrating children's books. She loves drawing all sorts of characters, mixing colors, and drinking an alarming amount of coffee. When she is not illustrating you can find her searching for the perfect vintage pen nib or trying to rearrange her watercolors of which she has far too many.