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News For Women Marian Anderson Has Written Autobiography

[By

S. J. HARRY]

Marian Anderson is undoubtedly one of the most famous singers of our time. But very little is known about her career or her private life. Now she has told the whole story of this life with great charm in a book, recently published in New York under the title, “My Lord, What A Morning.”

It is not surprising that this great negro contralto should have chosen as the title for her book a religious phrase from a spiritual All of Marian Anderson’s concert programmes include some spirituals, along with the more usual classical songs in French, German. Italian, and English. It is also no surprise that the whole book is modest in tone and full of homely stories because, in spite of all the praise and honour that have been heaped upon her, Miss Anderson has remained a humble and warmhearted person.

When the time came to write her life’s story, she wrote about the things that meant the most to her. So, instead of filling her book with quotations from the many critics who have praised her. Miss Anderson has filled her book with admiring words about her mother, father, husband, and all the people who have helped her in her career or been kind to her. Many who have attended her concerts have been struck with the singer’s great, almondshaped dark eyes which seem to radiate kindness and serenity. These qualities also shine through her book. Five Dollars a Concert Marian Anderson discovered that she could sing. But it was hard work before she began to earn money for her singing. At first she sang only in the choir, in Philadelphia, where she was bom; but her voice was so flexible that she was soon singing in both the junior and senior choirs, and often substituted for others who were ill, no matter what kind of part it was—high or low. Social groups began to invite her to, sing for them and gave her a dollar or two as a gift. By the time she was in high school she had begun to charge five dollars for each concert. A Philadelphia musician said to her mother: “Mark my words, one of these days that child is going to earn 50 dollars a night.” Marian and her mother thought he was exaggerating—but these days Miss Anderson sometimes receives several thousand dollars for an appearance. But the way up from five dollars a concert to several thousand

dollars was not easy. Through the help of church friends, 600 dollars was raised so that Marian could have singing lessons from an expensive but very good teacher. With his help, and with the continuing success she was having in small concerts, Marian took the risk of making her debut in New York’s Town Hall. This was the kind of concert the newspaper music critics would attend and many of them did, but very few others did. Furthermore, the critics were not very complimentary. Marian was so discouraged she thought about giving up singing. But as the months passed she realised that music meant too much to her to give it up, and with the encouragement of her wise and understanding mother, she began to practise her singing again Very soon she was chosen as the best singer from among 600 applicants in a contest and given a chance to perform at Lewisohn Stadium in New York with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. She went to England to study. Then the Julius Rosenwald fund gave her money to study in Germany so she could perfect her interpretation of German lieder. And Marian Anderson began a great career. Many Honours

It would be hard to pick out the best of the honours and compliments she has had in the 48 years of her life. Would it be the medal given to her by the King of Sweden? Or the Edward Bok award given to her by her home city of Philadelphia for service to the community? That meant a lot to her for the idea involved in it. As for the 10,000 dollars which went with it, Miss Anderson promptly used the money to set up scholarships for young singers. Would it be the fact that the Metropolitan Opera Company gave her in 1954 a special invitation to join it, although she had never sung any operatic roles? Miss Anderson was a great success when she tried such a role (Uloica in “Un Ballo in Maschera”). Would it be the fact that Jan Sibelius invited her to his home for coffee and then—after he had heard her sing— insisted on serving champagne instead? Or the fact that he dedicated a song to her? Maybe it would be the compliment that Arturo Toscanini paid to her when he said: “A voice like yours is heard only once in a hundred years.” But possibly the greatest honour came on Easter of 1939. On that day Marian Anderson sang—at the invitation of the United States Government —on the steps of the beautiful memorial to President Lincoln in Washington. The place was chosen with great appropriateness because Lincoln was the t President who freed the slaves. It was a chilly day, but 75,000 people—including Supreme Court judges and Cabinet officers —came to stand and listen to a voice so beautiful that a critic remarked that its like is heard only “once in a hundred years.”

At the end of her book Miss Anderson ' discusses the problem that negroes sometimes face with white people, and expresses great hope for the future of negro Americans and for America as a whole. It must make her proud to ; know how much she J as contributed to the progress of both.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19570427.2.4

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28262, 27 April 1957, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
961

News For Women Marian Anderson Has Written Autobiography Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28262, 27 April 1957, Page 2

News For Women Marian Anderson Has Written Autobiography Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28262, 27 April 1957, Page 2

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