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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Snoopycat: The Adventures of Marian Anderson's Cat Snoopy
Children - Released by Folkways Records on 1 Jan 1963
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Negro Spirituals (Mono Version)
Gospel - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1955
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Negro Spirituals (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
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20 Essentials of Marian Anderson (Mono Version)
Gospel - Released by BNF Collection on 11 Sep 2014
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Negro Spirituals, Vol. 2 (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1959
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Negro Spirituals, Vol. 1 (Mono Version)
Gospel - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands (Mono Version)
Gospel - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Negro Spirituals (Mono Version)
Gospel - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Marian Anderson (1923-1951)
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Symposium on 1 Jan 2004
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Special Christmas
Christmas Music - Released by Amra Record on 6 Dec 2019
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Some Winter Dreams
Christmas Music - Released by SWD Ch on 28 Jan 2014
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Christmas Collection
Classical - Released by Vintage Hits Records on 29 Nov 2019
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Christmas Carols
Christmas Music - Released by xmas lovers in the mega mood on 5 Nov 2022
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The Christmas Collection
Christmas Music - Released by Grand Hits Records on 22 Nov 2019
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Classic Christmas Songs
Christmas Music - Released by Hits Forever Records on 15 Nov 2018
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Christmas Carols
Christmas Music - Released by xmas lovers in the mood on 5 Nov 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Best Christmas
Christmas Music - Released by Ladies Records on 29 Nov 2019
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Christmas Carols
Christmas Music - Released by xmas lovers in the mega mood again on 5 Nov 2022
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The Old Christmas Train
Christmas Music - Released by The Christmas Lovers on 30 Nov 2013
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Christmas Midnight
Christmas Music - Released by Hits Forever Records on 14 Dec 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo