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Before the launch of her very successful stage and movie career, Andrews' voice teacher encouraged her to train for the opera. (Here, the teenaged Andrews sings a song from 'Le Toreador.')

But Andrews wrote in her autobiography: "My voice was extremely high and thin, and though clean and clear, it never had the necessary guts and weight for opera." 

She preferred to sing songs that were "bright and sunny" rather than the often sad and depressing music written for operas.

More Morning Edition music

Before the launch of her very successful stage and movie career, Andrews' voice teacher encouraged her to train for the opera.

Today's Morning Edition music is from Julie Andrews when she was a teenager singing a song from an obscure opera called "Le toréador."   We are playing it in honor of her 80th birthday today. Before she launched a very successful stage and movie career, her voice teacher encouraged Julie Andrews to train for the opera. But Andrews wrote in her autobiography: "My voice was extremely high and thin, and though clean and clear, it never had the necessary guts and weight for opera." She preferred to sing songs that were "bright and sunny" rather than the often sad and depressing music written for operas.

Julie Andrews opted for 'bright and sunny' music

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