In honor of Black History Month, I salute Marian Anderson, a woman of enormous talent and courage. Hopefully most people have heard the story of how the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) - another kind of right-wing group - refused to let her sing to an integrated audience in 1939. Ironically, the event was held at Constituion Hall. Their stupidity and racism pushed Anderson into the international spotlight.
President and Mrs. Roosevelt arranged to have her perform on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial before a crowd of 75,000 people. Anderson, with her amazingly rich contralto voice, would go on to break barriers for black artists in the United States. She became the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in 1955.
Leslie,
ReplyDeleteBeautiful performance.Couple points moving me to tears, seems to happen a lot these days. Emotions near the surface. Melancholy can turn to rage at a moments notice then drop back down again. What a world we live in, that good woman blocked from appearing at Constitution Hall by a patriotic group because her ancestry caused her skin a darker pigmentation.
You finally got back to before I had a TV. ;-) I knew of this event, but I had never heard it before. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteOso: I used to have an album of 78s recorded by Marion Anderson.
ReplyDeleteTomCat: I should have clarified it in my post but this video isn't from the time she sang at the Lincoln Memorial. The sound and video quality are so thin I opted for this one to get the full measure of her voice.
She sang My Country Tis of Thee as Aretha Franklin did at Obama's inauguration. Even when she had a voice Franklin was no Anderson - and I doubt that Anderson ever wore a hat that looked like that.
Here's the URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQnzb0Jj074
For once I can say I wasn't born yet. ; )
I'd heard of Anderson, but never heard her sing. Thanks for posting that, Leslie...I actually love opera. I've never taken the time to learn anything about it, but I love the singing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bee. I love opera, symphony, Big Band - no, I wasn't around then - 50s, 60s and nothing after. I even like blue grass and "old" country.
ReplyDeleteThat's no problem. You captured her real life quality.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for featuring Marian Anderson. What a talent! I consider myself fortunate to have heard her sing live in the 1950s. That is an unforgettable experience.
ReplyDeleteYvonne
http://lifelinesproverbsliving.blogspot.com/