Speaking Volumes: Denied a stage 80 years ago, she instead sang for the nation
On April 9, 1939, the great African-American contralto Marian Anderson (1897-1993) performed to a live audience at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.
She had been previously been barred from appearing at Constitution Hall because of her race, but several prominent people, including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, stepped in and secured the Lincoln Memorial venue.
Approximately 75,000 people (and millions more listening from their radios) lined along the mall in front of the memorial to hear her sing “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.”
For many years afterward, people often came backstage after a performance to tell Anderson they had been present at that Easter day concert.
Although Anderson was not an activist by nature, this milestone performance helped bring an end to segregation of the arts. Her feelings are summed up with this quote: “When I sing, I don’t want them to see that my face is black. … I want them to see my soul. And that is colorless.”
She later sang at the inaugurations of presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1963 and was one of the first recipients of that award.
If you’re interested in learning more about Anderson and her life, your library has a variety of materials, from biographies to recordings.
Russell Freedman’s “The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights” is an excellent biography of this modest and talented woman who helped break down racial barriers with the sound of her wonderful voice.
Another biography of note is “Marian Anderson: A Voice Uplifted,” by Victoria Garrett Jones. This is a fully rounded biography featuring several photographs from her early life to her various performances.
In addition to the Lincoln Memorial event, she also was the first African-American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera, doing so on Jan. 7, 1955. This was the only time she sang an opera role, as she preferred to perform in concert and recital settings.
Her repertoire ranged from German lieder songs (poetry set to music) to spirituals to traditional American songs.
If you would like to sample examples of Anderson’s singing, check out “Marian Anderson, Volume 2,” which features oratorio and opera excerpts from many of the great composers, such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms and Jean Sibelius.
Another interesting album is “Marian Anderson: Rare and Unpublished Recordings, 1936-1952,” which as the title suggests, consists of previously unavailable recordings, with some featuring the Baroque masters (Bach, Handel), but others such as extracts of works by English composer Henry Purcell (1659-1695) are represented.
If you’re looking for a documentary, take a look at “Marian Anderson: A Portrait in Music,” available on the DVD format.
Also contained on the disc are two “Festival of Music” telecasts from 1956, as well as a previously unavailable appearance on the Ford 50th Anniversary Show telecast from 1953.
Call your local branch for more information on available titles.
▪ Central Library — 941-748-5555;
▪ Braden River — 941-727-6079;
▪ Island — 941-778-6341;
▪ Palmetto — 941-722-3333;
▪ Rocky Bluff — 941-723-4821;
▪ South Manatee — 941-755-3892.
You also can access the library via the internet at mymanatee.org/library.
David Breakfield is a Central Library librarian. Speaking Volumes, written by Manatee County Public Library System staff members, is published each Sunday in the Bradenton Herald.