"Of thee we sing”

American contralto Marian Anderson was a voice of a generation and is considered one of the greatest contraltos of all time. Her voice was rich and beautiful and she had the ability to sing a wide range of music from classical opera to the American Spiritual. She broke down racial barriers and became the first African American to perform in some of the world’s greatest venues.

Marian Anderson

Life & Career

Marian Anderson was born in 1897 in South Philadelphia to two hardworking parents, her mother was a school teacher and her father delivered ice and coal throughout the city. Their community centered itself around the Union Baptize Church and it was here that Marian found her voice. By the age of 14 Marian was moved into the adult choir and stunned the other members with the strength and beauty of her voice. She also could sight read any of the parts (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) to a hymn on demand and was nicknamed “Baby Contralto” by the choir. The congregation realized her greatness and set up a fund to help her continue her musical studies.

She was denied admission into the Philadelphia Music Academy because of her race, but continued to study privately, eventually getting into the studio of famed Italian voice teacher Giuseppe Boghetti. He entered her into a vocal competition in 1925 in which she won and this led to her debut with the New York Philharmonic Symphony debut. From there, Boghetti took Marian to Europe where she continued to train and eventually made her Paris Opera debut in 1935. This success made her a great star in Europe and monarchs all over the continent wanted command performances.

The European attention also garnered her attention in the United States and she made her Carnegie Hall debut in 1935. Her fame and talent however didn’t protect her against the prevalent racism of the day and she was denied access to hotels, restaurants, and even concert halls, as was the case leading up to her famous April 1939 concert in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

In 1955, Marian became the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. Two years after this momentous achievement, she would sing at President Eisenhower’s inauguration and be named as a delegate to the United Nations goodwill ambassadors. She went on to sing at President Kennedy’s inauguration and in 1963 sang for the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” This same year President Lyndon Johnson awarded Marian with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Marian final performance was at Carnegie Hall in 1965. Read more about Marian Anderson from PBS.org, Britannica online, and Biography.com.

The voice that changed a nation

Marian Anderson was already making history prior to her 1939 concert in Washington DC. She had already toured Europe and the United States and in this year, Howard University invited her to sing as part of a concert series. Demand to hear Marian was so high that they needed a larger concert venue to accommodate the audience. When they were denied access by the “Daughters of the American Revolution” to use Constitution Hall because of a “white-artist-only” clause, there was a public outrage. First Lady Elenore Roosevelt, a member of the DAR, resigned from the group over the issue. Soon the idea of an outdoor concert took shape.

Visibly nervous, Marian took center stage to a crowd of over 75,000. During her rendition of “My Country tis of Thee” she changed the word from “I” to “We” in the phrase, “Of thee we sing.” This simple reflective moment was heard as a push for community and group responsibility and while she was never an activist, this moment helped launch the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s.

Read more about this historic moment from NPR and from the Kennedy Center.

Listen to Marian Anderson at the 1939 Concert from the Lincoln Memorial.

Listen to Marian Anderson sing “He’s got the Whole World in his Hands” at the 1963 March on Washington

A drink as rich as her voice!

Marian Anderson is considered the greatest contralto's of all time. Her voice opened doors for so many. What better cocktail than the classic Manhattan to honor this rich and smooth voice. Watch John build it here.

Ingredients: 2 oz Rye or Bourbon, 1 oz Sweet Vermouth, 2 dashes bitters, orange peel for garnish. Directions: Add all the ingredients to a mixing vessel and stir over ice, strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with an orange peel. Enjoy!