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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He's Got The Whole World In His Hands: Spirituals
Classical - Released by Living Stereo on 1 Jan 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson Sings Bach Arias and Great Songs of Faith (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 27 Aug 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson Performing "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" & 18 More Spirituals (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 27 Aug 2021
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson - Christmas Carols (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 14 Sep 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson Sings Great Spirituals (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 27 Aug 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson Sings Schubert & Schumann Songs (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 27 Aug 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson Performing Songs by Brahms & Mahler & Strauss (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 6 Aug 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Marian Anderson Negro Spirituals 1924-1949
Classical - Released by Fremeaux Heritage on 12 May 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson Sings Schubert & Brahms Lieder (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 1 Nov 1978
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of
Gospel - Released by Master Classics Records on 1 Sep 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson Performing Songs by Schubert & Schumann & Brahms & Strauss & Haydn (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 27 Aug 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson Performing Songs and Mélodies (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 27 Aug 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson at Constitution Hall: Farewell Recital (Live and Unedited) (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 6 Aug 2021
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Verdi: A Masked Ball (Highlights) (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 27 Aug 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Lebendige Vergangenheit - Marian Anderson
Classical - Released by Preiser Records on 1 Aug 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson - Songs at Eventide (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 21 Sep 1964
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson in Oratorio and Spiritual Vol. 1
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Prima Voce on 1 Jan 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ave Maria
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by 43 North Broadway LLC on 27 Nov 1965
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson Performing "Jus' Keep on Singin'" & 11 More Spirituals (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 15 Mar 1965
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson Sings Spirituals (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 27 Aug 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo