Marian Anderson
Marian Anderson (1897-1993) was a Philadelphia-born contralto whose voice and dignity helped break racial barriers in American classical music. Considered one of the finest singers of the twentieth century, Anderson achieved international acclaim through performances that showcased her extraordinary vocal range and emotional depth. Her 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial, organized after the Daughters of the American Revolution denied her access to Constitution Hall because of her race, became a landmark moment in civil rights history. Anderson's career, from her South Philadelphia childhood to her status as the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera, demonstrates how artistic excellence and personal courage could challenge the racism that constrained American life.[1]
Philadelphia Childhood
[edit | edit source]Marian Anderson was born on February 27, 1897, in South Philadelphia, the eldest of three daughters of John Berkley Anderson and Anna Delilah Rucker Anderson. The family lived in a modest home where music filled the household. Young Marian's extraordinary voice emerged early, attracting attention at Union Baptist Church, where she joined the choir at age six. The church community, recognizing her exceptional talent, would later raise funds to support her musical education, demonstrating the role that African American institutions played in nurturing talent that white institutions ignored.[2]
Anderson's father died when she was twelve, leaving the family in difficult circumstances. Her mother took in laundry to support the children while Marian contributed by singing at churches and community events. Despite these challenges, Anderson pursued musical training with determination that her community supported. When she was denied admission to a local music school because of her race—a rejection that deeply wounded her—the community raised funds for private lessons with voice teachers including Giuseppe Boghetti, who would guide her development for many years.[1]
Early Career
[edit | edit source]Anderson's early career combined growing success with constant confrontation with racism. She won a voice competition in 1925 that led to a performance with the New York Philharmonic, yet American concert halls remained largely closed to Black performers. Recognizing that opportunities in the United States were limited by prejudice, Anderson traveled to Europe in 1930, where she found audiences receptive to talent without regard to race. Her European performances earned critical acclaim, with conductor Arturo Toscanini declaring that hers was a voice "heard once in a hundred years."[2]
Anderson returned to America in 1935 with a European reputation that commanded attention even from audiences conditioned by segregation. She performed at Town Hall in New York to critical acclaim, initiating a concert career that would make her one of America's most celebrated singers. Her accompanist and manager Sol Hurok booked her throughout the country, navigating the complex arrangements that segregation required—separate hotels, separate dining, separate everything that daily reminded Anderson and her audiences of the barriers that her talent could transcend but not eliminate.[1]
Lincoln Memorial Concert
[edit | edit source]The Daughters of the American Revolution's refusal to allow Anderson to perform at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. in 1939 provoked national controversy that transformed a concert into a civil rights milestone. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the DAR in protest, generating publicity that brought the issue to national attention. Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes arranged for Anderson to perform instead at the Lincoln Memorial, where she sang before an integrated audience of 75,000 on Easter Sunday, 1939.[2]
The Lincoln Memorial concert became one of the iconic moments of the civil rights movement, demonstrating through artistry what arguments alone could not convey. Anderson opened with "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)," infusing the patriotic song with meaning that the segregated nation had denied. The performance, broadcast nationally by radio, reached millions who had never heard Anderson sing and many who had never questioned the racial arrangements that the concert challenged. The image of Anderson singing before Lincoln's statue became a symbol of the struggle for equality that would continue for decades.[1]
Metropolitan Opera
[edit | edit source]Anderson became the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera on January 7, 1955, singing the role of Ulrica in Verdi's "Un ballo in maschera." Though she was 57 and past her vocal prime, the historic significance of breaking the Met's color barrier overshadowed any artistic limitations. The ovation she received demonstrated the audience's recognition that they were witnessing history. The breakthrough, though late in Anderson's career, opened doors for subsequent African American opera singers including Leontyne Price and Jessye Norman.[2]
Anderson continued performing until her farewell concert at Carnegie Hall in 1965, concluding a career that had taken her from South Philadelphia churches to the world's greatest stages. She received numerous honors including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Congressional Gold Medal, and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Her autobiography "My Lord, What a Morning" recounts her journey with the grace and dignity that characterized her public presence throughout her life.[1]
Legacy
[edit | edit source]Marian Anderson died on April 8, 1993, at her home in Portland, Oregon. Her legacy encompasses both her artistic achievement—one of the great voices of the twentieth century—and her role in breaking barriers that had excluded African Americans from classical music's highest institutions. The Marian Anderson Award, established in Philadelphia in 1943, honors artists who combine artistic excellence with humanitarianism. Her childhood home in South Philadelphia bears a historical marker commemorating her origins in the city she always called home.[2]