Background
Marian Anderson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States on February 17, 1902; the daughter of John Berkley Anderson and Annie Delilah Rucker.
(The rich-toned, musically elegant, always dignified contr...)
The rich-toned, musically elegant, always dignified contralto Marian Anderson (1897-1993) is probably best known as the first African-American to sing at New York's Metropolitan Opera House, but by the time she did (in the mid '50s), her once burnished, glorious voice was no longer at its best. Years before, when she was not permitted to sing in the Daughters of the American Revolution's Constitution Hall (or any other hall in the U.S. capital), she gave a concert in the open air, in front of the Lincoln Memorial, which was attended by press, dignitaries, and a crowd of more than 75,000. Much of her late work is well known--arias from Verdi's Un ballo in maschera, spirituals, and the like--but this CD also allows us to hear the voice when it was young--in the 1930s and '40s. One can almost hear Schubert's trout ("Die Forelle") dancing around in the water, and an aria by Scarlatti shows Anderson's coloratura abilities--the big voice could be scaled down to intimate, chamberlike proportions. She brings her intelligence and textual insights to other songs by Schubert and Brahms as well. This is a marvelous collection and a fine tribute to an American original. --Robert Levine
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(Marian Anderson's rich contralto tinged with sadness touc...)
Marian Anderson's rich contralto tinged with sadness touched the hearts of many and made her one of the most-loved American singers. She's probably best known for her spirituals on recordings made in the twilight of her career. In these good transfers, she sings an ample selection of those favorites made in her prime, the late 1930s; they're no less touching and made even more compelling by the freshness of her voice, which is just as fresh in the Handel and Bach arias from the Messiah, St. Matthew Passion, and more. - -Dan Davis
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Marian Anderson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States on February 17, 1902; the daughter of John Berkley Anderson and Annie Delilah Rucker.
Marian was educated in the public schools. She displayed a remarkable flair for singing when very young. Local supporters provided funds for study with Agnes Reifsneider and, later, Giuseppe Boghetti. Further sponsorships enabled her to continue her studies in the United States and, after winning the Rosenwald Fellowship, in Europe.
Marian Anderson received a doctorate of music from Howard University (1938) and honorary degrees from more than 20 other American educational institutions.
When Anderson was 23, she entered a competition and won first place over 300 other singers, gaining her an engagement with the New York Philharmonic at Lewisohn Stadium.
Following debuts in Berlin in 1930 and London in 1932, Anderson concertized in Scandinavia, Germany, South America, and the Soviet Union. In Salzburg, Austria, she gave a sensational performance at the Mozarteum with famous conductor Arturo Toscanini in the audience. Upon hearing her sing, Toscanini reportedly told her she had "a voice heard but once in a century. "
At the end of her European tour, Anderson was an acclaimed sensation in the capitals of Europe, and American impresario Sol Hurok signed her to 15 concerts in the United States. On December 30, 1935, she opened her American tour at New York's Town Hall. The program was typical for Marian Anderson, consisting of songs by Handel, Schubert, Giuseppe Verdi, and Sibelius as well as several black spirituals. The performance was a resounding success, with critics welcoming her as a "new high priestess of song. " In the words of a New York Times contributor, the concert established her as "one of the great singers of our time. " Over the next several years Anderson sang for U. S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the White House, and she returned to perform for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England during their 1939 visit to the United States. She made several cross country tours and soon was booking engagements two years in advance. In one year she covered 26, 000 miles in the longest tour in concert history, giving 70 concerts in five months.
After World War II ended, she again performed in major European cities. By 1950, it was estimated that she had performed before nearly 4 million listeners. Marian Anderson's contralto voice was notable for its power and exceptionally dark texture, particularly in the lowest register. The high voice changed quality - not unusual in a contralto of prodigious range - but idiosyncracies never obliterated the fine musicality and sincere emotion that marked her performances.
With Roland Hayes and Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson pioneered in winning recognition at home and abroad for black artists. In 1939, an incident involving the Daughters of the American Revolution did much to focus public attention on racism. The DAR denied Anderson use of their Constitution Hall in Washington, D. C. for an April concert. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the DAR in protest, and the U. S. government placed Lincoln Memorial at Anderson's disposal. Her concert there, on Easter morning, drew a live audience of 75, 000, and millions more heard it over the radio.
In 1948 Anderson underwent a dangerous operation for the removal from her esophagus of a cyst that threatened to damage her voice. For two months she was not permitted to use her voice and was unsure if she would ever be able to sing again. When she was finally allowed to rehearse, her voice returned free of impairment. Following her recovery, Anderson made her first post-World War II tour of Europe, including stops in Scandinavia, Paris, London, Antwerp, Zurich, and Geneva. Her Operatic Debut On January 7, 1955, Anderson sang Ulrica in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera (The Masked Ball) at New York's Metropolitan Opera House, and she returned the following season in the same role. This was the first time an African American person had sung with the Metropolitan since it opened in 1883.
Over the years, Anderson continued to add to her accomplishments. She sang at the presidential inaugurations of Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. In 1957, as an emissary of the State Department, Anderson made a concert tour of India and the Far East that was filmed by CBS-TV.
Anderson gave her farewell concert at Carnegie Hall on Easter Sunday in 1965.
She died on April 8, 1993.
(The rich-toned, musically elegant, always dignified contr...)
(Marian Anderson's rich contralto tinged with sadness touc...)
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Anderson's parents were both devout Christians and the whole family was active in the Union Baptist Church in South Philadelphia.
Anderson became an important figure in the struggle for black artists to overcome racial prejudice in the United States during the mid-twentieth century. In 1958 President Eisenhower appointed her a delegate to the 13th General Assembly of the United Nations. She participated in the civil rights movement in the 1960s, singing at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.
Quotations:
I could not run away from the situation. I had become, whether I liked it or not, a symbol, representing my people. I had to appear.
Music to me means so much, such beautiful things, and it seemed impossible that you could find people who would curb you, stop you, from doing a thing which is beautiful. I wasn't trying to sway anybody into any movements or anything of that sort, you know. I just wanted to sing and share.
As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold the person down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might.
I hadn't set out to change the world in any way, because I knew that I couldn't. And whatever I am, it is a culmination of the goodwill, the help and understanding of the many people that I have met around the world who have, regardless of anything else, seen me as I am, not trying to be somebody else.
Certainly I have my feelings about conditions that affect my people. But it is not right for me to try to mimic somebody who writes, or who speaks. That is their forte. I think first of music and of being there where music is, and of music being where I am. What I had was singing, and if my career has been of some consequence, then that's my contribution.
Quotes from others about the person
"Those who remember her at her height. .. can never forget that big resonant voice, with those low notes almost visceral in nature, and with that easy, unforced ascent to the top register. A natural voice, a hauntingly colorful one, it was one of the vocal phenomena of its time. " - Harold C. Schoenberg
"Her voice was a rich, vibrant contralto of intrinsic beauty. " - Alan Blyth
Anderson married Orpheus H. Fisher, a New York architect, in 1943.