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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Happy Christmas Candy
Christmas Music - Released by The Christmas Lovers on 30 Oct 2013
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What a Beautiful City - Marian Anderson
Lounge - Released by ISIS on 9 Feb 2024
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A Quartette
Christmas Music - Released by quartette musico on 5 Jan 2022
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Marian Anderson - Away in a Manger
Pop - Released by Railroad on 30 Nov 2012
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My Wonderful Christmas Time
Christmas Music - Released by The Christmas Lovers on 15 Nov 2013
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Silver Shining Christmas Time
Christmas Music - Released by The Christmas Lovers on 20 Nov 2013
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A White Christmas Dream
Christmas Music - Released by The Christmas Lovers on 20 Oct 2013
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Traditions
Christmas Music - Released by Traditions on 2 Dec 2022
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Merry Christmas
Christmas Music - Released by Affluent on 13 Dec 2019
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Christmas Songs
Christmas Music - Released by Tiger Nong on 13 Dec 2019
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Original Christmas Songbook (Original Artist, Original Recordings, Digitally Remastered)
Christmas Music - Released by Hits Forever Records on 21 Oct 2016
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It's Christmas Night
Christmas Music - Released by All Time Records on 28 Nov 2014
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Great Combinations (1953)
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Naxos Classical Archives on 1 Jan 2000
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Christmas Bells Are Ringing
Christmas Music - Released by Belle Wood on 18 Dec 2016
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Flapping Wings
Christmas Music - Released by Wings in Hell on 23 Dec 2020
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Christmas Carols
Pop - Released by Christmas Records on 5 Nov 2022
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Les grandes contraltos de la musique classique : Marian Anderson, Vol. 1 (Spirituals)
Pop - Released by Mon patrimoine musical on 14 Apr 2017
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Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (The Christmas Series)
Christmas Music - Released by Eastside Westside on 28 Nov 2014
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Super Gold Christmas (Original & Special Recordings)
Christmas Music - Released by Simple Moments Records on 15 Nov 2019
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Master Christmas
Christmas Music - Released by Orange records on 30 Nov 2018
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