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
-
-
Marian Anderson - The Lady from Philadelphia (From the TV Series "See it Now") (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 20/12/1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
ANDERSON, Marian: Ev ry Time I Feel The Spirit (1930-1947)
Classical - Released by Naxos on 29/11/2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
ANDERSON, Marian: Softly Awakes My Heart (1924-1944)
International Pop - Released by Naxos on 3/03/2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart, Brahms, Debussy & Liebermann: A Musical Joke - Alto Rhapsody - Petite Suite - Concerto for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Infinity on 3/05/2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spirituals (Album of 1956)
Miscellaneous - Released by Gospel Train on 14/12/2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson Sings Christmas Carols (2021 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by RCA Red Seal on 5/09/1952
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
A Prairie Windstorm
Christmas Music - Released by prairie windstorm on 7/02/2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: 4 Lieder (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1/01/1953
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Carry Me Back to Old Virginny (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1/01/1953
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Negro Spirituals (Mono Version)
Gospel - Released by BNF Collection on 1/01/1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Carols
Christmas Music - Released by Santas Car on 5/11/2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ev'ry Time I Feel De Spirit (Recordings 1924 - 1947)
Pop - Released by Gospel Train on 31/12/2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Just at the Turn of the Tide
Miscellaneous - Released by turn of the tide on 28/04/2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Rich Voice of Marian Anderson
Classical - Released by Editions Audiovisuel Beulah on 6/12/2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Negro Spirituals (Mono Version)
Gospel - Released by BNF Collection on 1/01/1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Negro Spirituals (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1/01/1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Negro Spirituals, Vol. 2 (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1/01/1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Negro Spirituals, Vol. 1 (Mono Version)
Gospel - Released by BNF Collection on 1/01/1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo