Marian Anderson
A legendary African-American interpreter of both operatic and concert repertoire, Marian Anderson was possessed of one of the finest contralto voices in living memory. Her career was notable not only for her artistic achievements -- which were many -- but also for a dignified tenacity in the face of discrimination. She opened doors for subsequent generations of Black American singers.
Anderson was born on February 27, 1897, in Philadelphia. Having sung since childhood and subsequently studied with a number of teachers in her native city, Anderson first rose to prominence when she appeared with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 1925. In the early '30s, she made a successful concert tour of Europe and solidified her growing reputation with further appearances in New York and London.
In 1939, Anderson scheduled an appearance at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., but was denied the use of the building by its owners, the Daughters of the American Revolution, who objected to the presentation of a Black performer. Eleanor Roosevelt resigned her membership in the DAR in protest of this decision and then scheduled an appearance for Anderson at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday. The resulting concert, attended by thousands and broadcast nationwide, forever established Anderson as an ambassador for racial progress -- a role she embraced with great pride and success for the remainder of her career. Fittingly, Anderson's 1955 appearance at the Metropolitan Opera marked the first by an African-American singer, preparing the way for such future stars as Leontyne Price and Shirley Verrett.
Marian Anderson's voice was dark, rich, and possessed of great power and agility. Her repertoire ranged from opera and concert material to Negro spirituals, and she brought to all things a great sense of commitment and integrity. Arturo Toscanini is noted to have remarked that a voice like hers only appears "once in a hundred years." Her extraordinary range extended all the way down to the D below middle C -- as displayed in her performances of Schubert's song Death and the Maiden (Der Tod und das Mädchen) -- as well as upwards into soprano territory (as an exercise, she even sang the devastatingly difficult "Casta diva" from Bellini's Norma). While her voice was most distinctive in the lower range, she was also capable of lightening it almost to leggiero proportions -- as she did in works of Handel and other Baroque composers -- and of bringing a near-ideal combination of classical training and folk-like spontaneity to the spirituals that were an integral part of her concert and recording repertoire. Anderson died on April 8, 1993, in Portland, Oregon.
© TiVo Staff /TiVo
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Joyful Christmas with Marian Anderson
Christmas Music - Released by The Christmas Lovers on 5 Nov 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Carols (Album of 1962)
Musical Theatre - Released by Christmas Album on 30 Nov 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Silent Christmas Night
Christmas Music - Released by The Christmas Lovers on 5 Dec 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Adeste Fideles
Christmas Music - Released by Christmas Evening Records on 6 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music for Christmas Day (Original Songs)
Christmas Music - Released by Baby One Records on 7 Dec 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Various Artists: Bach - Debussy - Bizet - Franck - Verdi - Chopin - Wagner
Marian Anderson, Eugene Ormandy, José Iturbi, Charles O'Connell, Léopold Stokowski, Philadelphia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Infinity on 1 Feb 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Christmas Songs
Christmas Music - Released by Nana on 13 Dec 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Songs
Christmas Music - Released by Divitiae on 13 Dec 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Waiting for Santa Claus
Christmas Music - Released by Baby One Records on 27 Nov 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Playing Christmas Themes
Christmas Music - Released by Amra Record on 12 Dec 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Melodies
Christmas Music - Released by Grand Hits Records on 28 Nov 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Merry Christmas
Christmas Music - Released by Music All Records on 13 Dec 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas With: Marian Anderson
Christmas Music - Released by Wind & Broomfield Records on 31 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Christmas Album
Christmas Music - Released by Amra Record on 10 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Collection (Original Classic Christmas Songs)
Christmas Music - Released by X Select Records on 28 Nov 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Carols
Marian Anderson, Franz Rupp, Robert Russell Bennet Orchestra and Chorus
Christmas Music - Released by Stage Door on 1 Dec 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
She's a Queen
Christmas Music - Released by Queen & Queens on 20 Aug 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Winter Dreams
Christmas Music - Released by Winter Dreams on 10 Oct 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Boy Wanted
Christmas Music - Released by Boy Wanted on 27 Dec 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo