Marian Anderson: A Singer's JourneyBorn in 1897, Marian Anderson fell in love with music at an early age. Almost a century later, The New York Times would declare that "Miss Anderson's place as the high priestess of American musicians, whatever their color, is not to be denied". Yet success did not come easy for this talented singer. Although in 1938 she would become the first African-American singer to perform at the White House, just one year later, the Daughters of the American Revolution denied Anderson use of their concert hall (instead, she performed for a crowd of 75,000 at the Lincoln Memorial). But Anderson persevered, and her subsequent honors include a performance as the first African-American soloist at the Metropolitan Opera, the Presidential Medal of Honor, and the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award. In the culmination of his lifelong fascination with Marian Anderson, Allan Keiler has superbly documented the life of this guarded public figure -- who is still enormously popular six years after her death (a collection of Anderson's works, Spirituals, recently reached number nine on the Tower Records classical music chart). Now correcting errors that appeared in Anderson's own highly selective memoir, My Lord, What a Morning, Keiler enhances both the history of American music and of the civil rights movement by uncovering the life of one of the century's greatest artists. |
Contents
Childhood in South Philadelphia 18971915 | 15 |
The Struggle for Education 19151921 | 29 |
Touring with Billy King 19211928 | 50 |
Copyright | |
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accompanist Alyse American Ander Anderson and Kosti Anderson sang Anderson's concert appearance April aria arranged artists asked audience Berlin Billy King black singer Boghetti Brahms career Carnegie Hall church Constitution Hall contralto critics debut December Der Erlkönig early Eklipse Eklipse EKR CD EKR CD 26 Enwall Ethel February feel felt Franz Rupp German Hall Johnson high school Hurok Ibid included interviews invited James DePreist January Jimmy Judson June lieder Lincoln Memorial MA's manager March Marian Anderson Marianna Miss Anderson months mother musicians NAACP NAACP Papers Negro Nimbus NI 7895 October Opera orchestra Orpheus Orpheus Fisher Paris Pearl GEMM CD performance Philadelphia Tribune recital recording Roger Quilter Roland Hayes Roosevelt Rupp Schubert season segregation Sibelius sing Sol Hurok songs spirituals Studio Albert summer teacher tion tour unissued Vehanen vocal voice Walter White wanted Washington weeks wrote York Studio young