And finally, “The Star Spangled Banner” performed by the greatest coloratura contralto to ever live Marian Anderson (https://youtu.be/_iYcheeUS5A?si=GjJoY5HihqbIckUR)
#RetroView #MarianAnderson #BlackHistoryMonth #opera #NationalAnthem


And finally, “The N*gro Speaks of Rivers” (https://youtu.be/kiCqOzabU6A?si=MC1K7YwmKdn7yIeK) performed by the greatest coloratura contralto Marian Anderson. This 1941 composition is based on the poem “The N*gro Speaks of Rivers” by Margaret Bonds’ muse, co-conspirator and close friend Langston Hughes, who she met in the late 1930s after she graduated from college where she fell in love with his writing.
#SymSat #MargaretBonds #LangstonHughes #BlackHistoryMonth #MarianAnderson

Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897 – April 8, 1993) is considered to be the greatest coloratura contralto of the 20th century. She was the first Black American to sing at the Met Opera, Washington D.C.’s Constitution Hall. And later was awarded the first Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963, the Congressional Gold Medal in 1977, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978, the National Medal of Arts in 1986, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991.
#SymSat #MarianAnderson #BlackHistoryMonth