1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: I'm Fair Dowdy and a chalk reporting And today we're 4 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:19,840 Speaker 1: gonna be talking about a famous singer. But we're gonna 5 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:23,079 Speaker 1: start by talking about a famous speech, one of the 6 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: most famous speeches in history. It took place August nineteen 7 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: sixty three. It's Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream speech. 8 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,000 Speaker 1: Of course, that was made on the steps of the 9 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:36,240 Speaker 1: Lincoln Memorial. But more than twenty years before that, ten 10 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: year old Martin Luther King had been affected by another 11 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 1: Lincoln Memorial event, one that had been also covered nationally, 12 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:47,879 Speaker 1: broadcast coast to coast by NBC Radio, covered in all 13 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: the newspapers, a really big event, and that was the 14 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: concert of African American Contralto singer Marian Anderson. And she 15 00:00:56,360 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: had opened her performance by singing America and then Donna's 16 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:04,320 Speaker 1: Eddy and Ave Maria and Spiritual is the selection of spirituals. 17 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 1: To this utterly ecstatic crowd, they were just thrilled to 18 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 1: see her saying an internationally renowned singer and see her 19 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,919 Speaker 1: saying there on the National Mall seventy five thousand people 20 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 1: were actually there, and that was the largest group to 21 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 1: gather at the Lincoln Memorial since Lindbergh's appearance there in 22 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: nineteen It was a huge event that that concert was 23 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: actually a result of earlier discrimination. The Daughters of the 24 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: American Revolution had refused to allow Anderson, who was by 25 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: that point an internationally acclaimed singer, to perform at d 26 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 1: c's Constitution Hall. So in protest, first Lady Eleanor Roosevelt 27 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 1: resigned from the d a R and arranged an alternate 28 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: venue for Anderson's performance, the National Mall. So with a 29 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 1: backstory like that, in a voice like Anderson's, the Easter 30 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty nine performance proved to be a landmark moment 31 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: for the early civil rights movement, and one that undoubtedly 32 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 1: affected young Martin Luther King. Yeah. We actually have a 33 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 1: quote from him at age fifteen. So, just a few 34 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: years after this concert by Marion Anderson, Martin Luther King 35 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: entered a speaking contest and he noted the performance and 36 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: the inequalities that it had yet to address. In the speech, 37 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: he wrote, here's what he had to say. She's sang 38 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: is never before with tears in her eyes when the 39 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,679 Speaker 1: words of America, And nobody knows the trouble I've seen 40 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:26,760 Speaker 1: rang out over that great gathering. There was a hush 41 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: on the sea of uplifted faces, black and white, and 42 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: a new baptism of liberty, equality and fraternity. That was 43 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 1: a touching tribute. But miss Anderson may not as yet 44 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:41,399 Speaker 1: spend the night in any good hotel in America. So 45 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: who was Marion Anderson? How did she wind up singing 46 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in front of 47 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: this crowd of seventy thousand people? And what did she 48 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:55,080 Speaker 1: think of her her sort of unwilling or reluctant role 49 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: as a civil rights figure. Well, we're gonna get to that, 50 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: but first we're gonna start with her childhood. She was 51 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 1: born in Philadelphia in eighteen nine, and she was the 52 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 1: eldest of three girls. Her mother had trained as a 53 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:10,959 Speaker 1: school teacher in Virginia and her father worked delivering coal 54 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: and ice. And Anderson started singing at a really early age. 55 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 1: She joined the junior choir of the Union Baptist Church 56 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: at age six, and she actually got in trouble back 57 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 1: then because she would drown out all the other kids 58 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:25,640 Speaker 1: in her class. So in class she'd said as close 59 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: as she could to the music room so that she 60 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 1: could overhear the songs being taught through the wall. So 61 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:32,679 Speaker 1: really obsessed with music, she would when she finally would 62 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: get to music class from her her other studies, she 63 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: would already know all the songs. She would have memorized 64 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 1: them already. But she was also interested in piano and violin. 65 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: She bought a used violin herself by saving up money 66 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: from scrubbing stats, and supposedly was not very great at violin. 67 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:52,800 Speaker 1: She realized that was not her instrument, but still practiced 68 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: really hard at it. And this was kind of an 69 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 1: interesting time in classical music, one that we need to 70 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 1: discuss a little bit before we we can really understand 71 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 1: how Marian came to be what she was. But it 72 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: was a time that seemed a little more welcoming to 73 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: African Americans, time when classical music seemed a little more 74 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 1: accessible than it had in the past. Because just a 75 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,520 Speaker 1: few years before Anderson was born, and Tonin Dvorjac had 76 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 1: announced that African Americans would be able to attend the 77 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:26,800 Speaker 1: National Conservatory free of admission. And he made that decision 78 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 1: because he thought that spirituals and American Indian music was 79 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:34,640 Speaker 1: sort of the way that American composition was headed. That 80 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:38,799 Speaker 1: would be the major influence in the future of American music. 81 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: So he thought that people with fewer privileges should be 82 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: able to train up to be a part of that future. 83 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:49,039 Speaker 1: And Anderson certainly seemed like she would be part of 84 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:52,599 Speaker 1: that future. She had promised. She joined the people's course 85 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 1: at Church of the Crucifixion at age eight and had 86 00:04:55,839 --> 00:04:58,200 Speaker 1: to stand on a chair to see the conductor. So 87 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:01,039 Speaker 1: that's how young she was compared to everyone else. And 88 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:03,560 Speaker 1: it was around this time that paper started advertising her 89 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 1: church concerts to shows by quote the baby contralto. Yeah, 90 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: and that was the first little contralto nickname she had. 91 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 1: But I think it's it's funny to imagine an eight 92 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 1: year old with a contralto. In case anybody doesn't know, 93 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:20,799 Speaker 1: that's one of the lower the lower registers for women singers, 94 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 1: So imagine an eight year old with a very powerful, 95 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:27,280 Speaker 1: slightly low voice. But must have been surprising two people. Yeah, 96 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: and impressive for sure even then. But in nineteen o nine, 97 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: Marian's family sort of underwent some major trouble. Her father 98 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 1: had a head injury at work and after a month 99 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 1: of illness related to this injury. He died at age 100 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:45,120 Speaker 1: thirty four, and that left Marian's mother having to go 101 00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 1: back to work. Unfortunately, she couldn't teach, even though that's 102 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:50,880 Speaker 1: what she had done in Virginia, because she didn't have 103 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,840 Speaker 1: the proper certification to teach in Pennsylvania. So she did 104 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 1: laundry and cleaning and sewing. And it also called Marian 105 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:00,880 Speaker 1: to have to go to work herself, drop out of 106 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:03,479 Speaker 1: high school and help support the family, and she did 107 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: that mostly with menial work as well, helping out her 108 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:09,719 Speaker 1: mother with cleaning and and stuff like that, but also 109 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:14,679 Speaker 1: occasionally taking on gig at a small concert, something something 110 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: to make a little money off of her singing, and 111 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:20,200 Speaker 1: she got help with that too. People who had heard 112 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:22,680 Speaker 1: her sing they weren't about to let her slip off 113 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:25,839 Speaker 1: into a life of manual labor. So she continued to 114 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:29,080 Speaker 1: sing with the People's Chorus and Union Baptist Church, often 115 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 1: filling in for soloists and sometimes even helping fill out 116 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: the tenor section. As Sarah indicated before another another great 117 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: example of her reign. She had three octaves actually, so 118 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:43,280 Speaker 1: she could go from covering for the tenor section to 119 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 1: singing soprano. So she studied with a teacher, Mary Saunders Patterson, 120 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:50,599 Speaker 1: who would often waive her lesson fees, and she was 121 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 1: supported by the Union Baptist folks who basically took up 122 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:56,520 Speaker 1: a collection for her in order to send her to school. Yeah, 123 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 1: they wanted to to see her go somewhere. They actually 124 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:01,520 Speaker 1: thought that her voice was a gift from God and 125 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 1: it shouldn't be wasted. So you'd think that such a 126 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: talented young woman who was the pride of her community 127 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 1: and had all of these supporters would would be able 128 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: to get into a conservatory, be able to get some 129 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: professional training. So with money in hand, she actually applied 130 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:21,320 Speaker 1: to a local conservatory in nineteen fourteen, but had this 131 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:25,360 Speaker 1: terrible experience there. The receptionists made her wait until everyone 132 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: in line behind her had been served, and then finally, 133 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: when she was the last person in the room, the 134 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:34,080 Speaker 1: woman told her we don't take colored and dismissed her 135 00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 1: without even giving her a chance to sing. But she 136 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:41,240 Speaker 1: still managed to continue her training even though she couldn't 137 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 1: get into a school like this, She went back to 138 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: high school instead with the support of her church. So 139 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: she had that kind of hoping that she'd be able 140 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 1: to get a higher paying day job eventually to continue 141 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 1: her singing, and then the churches. Marian Anderson's Future Fund 142 00:07:56,400 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: also helped her continue funding these private lessons, and by 143 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:03,600 Speaker 1: the time she started touring regionally, momentum around her was 144 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:07,600 Speaker 1: really really building. Finally, yeah, we mentioned people from where 145 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:10,000 Speaker 1: she was locally collecting money from her, but at a 146 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: concert for the National Association of Negro Musicians convention in Chicago, 147 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 1: someone in the audience actually called for a collection for 148 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: her there too. She eventually applied and was accepted to Yale, 149 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 1: but she still couldn't attend due to the price. Meanwhile, though, 150 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 1: the principle of her high school, Dr. Lucy Wilson, kept 151 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:30,400 Speaker 1: working with Marian and introduced her to Giuseppe Boghetti, a 152 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:33,880 Speaker 1: well known voice teacher, and he remembers their first meeting 153 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 1: in this way quote at the end of a long, 154 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: hard day, when I was weary of singing and singers, 155 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:43,320 Speaker 1: and when a tall, calm girl poured out deep river 156 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 1: in the twilight and made me cry. Yeah. And so 157 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:51,200 Speaker 1: he was really affected by this young woman and her voice, 158 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 1: and he cleared his schedule for her, and he was 159 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:56,920 Speaker 1: pretty frank with her too. He told her, I will 160 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 1: need only two years with you. After that you will 161 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 1: be able ago anywhere and sing for anybody. And that 162 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 1: really proved to be true. But they started intensive training 163 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:08,800 Speaker 1: and she she did have a lot to learn. She 164 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:11,959 Speaker 1: had a great natural gift and she was really good 165 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 1: at what she had been singing, which was spirituals and gospel, 166 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 1: but she needed to hone her foreign language diction to 167 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:21,880 Speaker 1: be able to sing art songs and sing arias from operas, 168 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,680 Speaker 1: and to practice the style for that type of singing. 169 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:28,840 Speaker 1: She made her more formally. Yeah, he trained her formally, 170 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:32,559 Speaker 1: and so she practicing all of this all the while 171 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:35,400 Speaker 1: with him, she toured black colleges and churches on the 172 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:39,960 Speaker 1: East Coast, and in nine nineteen two she also started 173 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 1: making recordings with Joseph Pasternach, who was the conductor of 174 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:47,800 Speaker 1: the Philharmonic Society of Philadelphia. And interestingly, these were the 175 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:54,000 Speaker 1: first recordings African American concert artist recordings of spirituals for 176 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:59,480 Speaker 1: a major label. And um Marian has so many firsts 177 00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:01,640 Speaker 1: that were not going to be able to acknowledge all 178 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 1: of them. But I thought that was that was an 179 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:09,520 Speaker 1: interesting recording milestone. But with all the success disappointment still 180 00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 1: had a surprisingly big effect on her. Yes, probably the 181 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: worst one came in April nine four, when she made 182 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,600 Speaker 1: her town Hall, New York City debut to a nearly 183 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:25,120 Speaker 1: empty house. The reviews were really bad, and after that 184 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:27,880 Speaker 1: she had to take time off to reconsider her career 185 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:30,720 Speaker 1: before she finally decided to jump back in for a 186 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:34,680 Speaker 1: smash collaboration with the Philharmonic Society of Philadelphia. So she 187 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:37,480 Speaker 1: came back, but she was really down. There ended up 188 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 1: being a bump in the road, but she she just 189 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:41,679 Speaker 1: had to think about whether this was something she really 190 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:46,080 Speaker 1: wanted to pursue. But by she was confident enough with 191 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:48,960 Speaker 1: her abilities and a strong enough singer that but Getty 192 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:53,440 Speaker 1: secretly entered her name into this contest with a very 193 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:57,280 Speaker 1: grand prize. Indeed, the winner would appear as a soloist 194 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:00,840 Speaker 1: with the New York Philharmonic, And as you can imagine, 195 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:04,200 Speaker 1: it was competitive. There were three hundred singers trying to 196 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:07,320 Speaker 1: get this prize, and by the time Anderson appeared, the 197 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:10,800 Speaker 1: judges had already heard fifty singers that day. So I 198 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:15,199 Speaker 1: guess imagine those early American Idol tryouts. They're probably pretty 199 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:18,040 Speaker 1: burned out, except they were cutting people off with a buzzer. Yes, 200 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 1: they were cutting people off in the middle of the buzzer. 201 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:22,959 Speaker 1: So she was seeing this before she went up and performed, 202 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:25,320 Speaker 1: and was just dreading she would go out there, pour 203 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,640 Speaker 1: her heart out, sing her beautiful song and be cut 204 00:11:28,679 --> 00:11:31,600 Speaker 1: off in the middle by the buzzer. But they listened 205 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:33,280 Speaker 1: the whole way through. They called her back, they had 206 00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:35,760 Speaker 1: her sing a few different times, and she ended up 207 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:40,160 Speaker 1: winning the competition and performed before a crowd of seven thousand, 208 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:44,080 Speaker 1: five hundred people. So after that town hall debacle, this 209 00:11:44,240 --> 00:11:47,760 Speaker 1: was a real triumph and really gave her the confidence 210 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:50,320 Speaker 1: to move on to the next step in her career right, 211 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:53,439 Speaker 1: and that next step was to head to Europe. There 212 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 1: were fewer racial barriers. They're more of an opportunity to 213 00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 1: learn languages of classical music, including friend Italian and German, 214 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:04,360 Speaker 1: as well as European vocal style. So it just seemed 215 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:06,240 Speaker 1: to make sense that this was this was the next 216 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:08,719 Speaker 1: logical step for her. So in the fall of nine 217 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:11,560 Speaker 1: seven she left for her first trip, and she spent 218 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:14,160 Speaker 1: the next several years going back and forth between there 219 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:17,000 Speaker 1: in the United States, and at first she mostly studied 220 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:21,319 Speaker 1: in Germany. She studied language addiction there and toward in Scandinavia, 221 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:24,640 Speaker 1: and the Scandinavians really loved that her name was Anderson 222 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:28,520 Speaker 1: just because Scandina. Yeah, the newspapers there talked about quote 223 00:12:28,520 --> 00:12:31,760 Speaker 1: maryan fever. So she was really big there. But eventually 224 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 1: she was touring the whole continent and Asia as well. 225 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:37,920 Speaker 1: In nineteen thirty four she made her Paris debut, and 226 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:41,320 Speaker 1: in the Soviet Union she featured spirituals and songs like 227 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:44,959 Speaker 1: ave Maria. She just changed the titles to suit censors 228 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:48,680 Speaker 1: a little bit. They didn't want overtly religious songs, but 229 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:52,040 Speaker 1: those were the songs. She wasn't willing to not sing spirituals. 230 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:54,880 Speaker 1: That's what she had always done, so just changed things 231 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:57,160 Speaker 1: around a little bit and made a few adjustments. But 232 00:12:57,240 --> 00:12:59,760 Speaker 1: the government there actually liked her so much they arranged 233 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:03,319 Speaker 1: for recordings to inspire Soviet young people in the Soviet Union, 234 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:06,320 Speaker 1: which is is really bizarre if you think about it, 235 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:09,880 Speaker 1: that this, uh, this young woman from Philadelphia would be 236 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 1: a model for Soviet youths. But there you go. So 237 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 1: during all this touring now she also obviously came into 238 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:21,200 Speaker 1: contact with a lot of great European composers and performers, 239 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 1: and directors, and she met Finnish composer Jean Sibelius for instance, 240 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:29,480 Speaker 1: and Arturo Toscanini perhaps gave her one of her most 241 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:32,920 Speaker 1: famous compliments, which is, yours is a voice such as one. 242 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:36,160 Speaker 1: Here's only once in a hundred years. And um, in 243 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:38,960 Speaker 1: some of the things I read about Anderson, a lot 244 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,959 Speaker 1: of people said, we're not anywhere close to that hundred 245 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 1: years being up quite yet. So it still holds true today, 246 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:49,880 Speaker 1: still holds true in in some people's opinion. But by 247 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:54,319 Speaker 1: the mid nineteen thirties, obviously Europe was getting to not 248 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:57,960 Speaker 1: be such a hospitable place for Anderson anymore. So she 249 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:01,520 Speaker 1: started reconsidering where her career was going to go, and 250 00:14:01,559 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 1: at one point she was even invited to Thing in Berlin, 251 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:08,559 Speaker 1: where of course she had performed extensively in the nineteen twenties, 252 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:11,160 Speaker 1: but organizers called it off when they heard that she 253 00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:16,200 Speaker 1: was not quote one hundred percent Arian. Surprise. UM, so 254 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:19,040 Speaker 1: she just starts looking at at different options. It's time 255 00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:21,280 Speaker 1: to move on in her career yet again. So it 256 00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:23,440 Speaker 1: was time to come home for an extended stay. And 257 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 1: fortunately her success in Europe meant that she could bring 258 00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 1: on a better manager because While her European tours had 259 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:32,920 Speaker 1: been a grand success, her state side manager, who was 260 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:37,320 Speaker 1: Arthur Judson, had been pretty lackluster. He didn't book much 261 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:39,360 Speaker 1: for her, and he even tried to convince her to 262 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:42,160 Speaker 1: be a soprano and pursue the role of Aida, which 263 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:46,240 Speaker 1: was a traditionally black song role. But at one point 264 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:48,120 Speaker 1: she got so fed up with him that she booked 265 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:51,600 Speaker 1: it for Sweden and actually stayed abroad there for two years. 266 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:55,200 Speaker 1: Ditched or manager, and she was basically hiding from him. 267 00:14:55,360 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 1: But in Paris she had met impresario soul Horrick and 268 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:02,000 Speaker 1: he saw in her away from Judson by guaranteeing at 269 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 1: least fifteen stateside concerts with a five hundred dollar fee 270 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,480 Speaker 1: per concert. So she was all about that. She was like, okay, 271 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 1: let's do it. And her homecoming concert was scheduled for 272 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:15,520 Speaker 1: December thirtieth, ninety five at New York City's Town Hall, 273 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:18,800 Speaker 1: the site of her first major failure that we mentioned. 274 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:21,560 Speaker 1: And to further complicate those bad memories that she must 275 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:24,520 Speaker 1: have already had of the place, she also had just 276 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:28,160 Speaker 1: broken her ankle, so she had this cast on her foot, 277 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: but she had to do the show anyway. Leaning against 278 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 1: the piano, wearing a long, elegant dress to cover the cast, 279 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:36,720 Speaker 1: standing on one foot. I mean, can you imagine how 280 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:39,400 Speaker 1: much somebody like this too, when when you're gonna hear 281 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:42,080 Speaker 1: her voice later in the podcast, somebody who clearly has 282 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:44,600 Speaker 1: to put so much energy and power into her voice 283 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:48,320 Speaker 1: standing on one foot, that would be pretty agonizing. But 284 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:52,240 Speaker 1: this time her performance at the town Hall is a 285 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:55,560 Speaker 1: huge success. The New York Times says there was no 286 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:58,680 Speaker 1: doubt of it. She was mistress of all she surveyed, 287 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:03,320 Speaker 1: so big success in New York. She's got this good 288 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 1: tour going on, making a lot of money. Actually, in 289 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:10,000 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty eight she made a quarter of a million dollars. 290 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:14,160 Speaker 1: So just to give you an idea of how successful 291 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:16,720 Speaker 1: she really was. It wasn't just good reviews. That's the 292 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:20,520 Speaker 1: equivalent of three point seven million dollars today, So I 293 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:22,840 Speaker 1: mean a quarter of a million sound it still sounds 294 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:27,000 Speaker 1: pretty I know. So she was she was doing very 295 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 1: well for herself and as an artist. It seemed like 296 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:34,160 Speaker 1: she was ready to perform in the nation's capital, to 297 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 1: perform in d C. And Herrick wanted her to debut 298 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:42,320 Speaker 1: at Constitution Hall, which was really the only venue that 299 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:46,440 Speaker 1: could contain her many many fans. It was the biggest 300 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:50,120 Speaker 1: venue in d C. But in the early nineteen thirties, 301 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:53,200 Speaker 1: the d a R Daughters of the American Revolution, which 302 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:58,080 Speaker 1: owned Constitution Hall, had instituted this policy against black performers. 303 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:01,520 Speaker 1: They had originally allowed blacker formers, but they thought it 304 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:05,280 Speaker 1: attracted too much of a black audience, so they made 305 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 1: a just blanket policy against black performers at Constitution Hall. 306 00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:14,119 Speaker 1: So Para tries to get them to maybe change their 307 00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:17,800 Speaker 1: roles for Anderson, and she is such a huge celebrated star. 308 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:20,879 Speaker 1: But even under pressure from him and from the n 309 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:23,879 Speaker 1: double a CP and from Howard University, the d a 310 00:17:24,080 --> 00:17:28,240 Speaker 1: R refuses to back down from their policy. And unfortunately, 311 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:30,600 Speaker 1: the next biggest venue in town, which was a local 312 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:33,439 Speaker 1: white high school, was also out of the question because 313 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:36,600 Speaker 1: the school board refused to allow Anderson to perform there. 314 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:41,199 Speaker 1: So enter Eleanor Roosevelt. She was a member of the 315 00:17:41,359 --> 00:17:45,520 Speaker 1: d a R, probably its most prominent member. She resigned publicly, 316 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:49,560 Speaker 1: wrote the scathing letter to them, and started working with 317 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:52,320 Speaker 1: her husband, who was the president at the time, and 318 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:56,280 Speaker 1: others to book Anderson at the National Mall. So if 319 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:58,919 Speaker 1: you if you can't perform in the biggest concert venue, 320 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:02,360 Speaker 1: perform at the most high profile place in the national 321 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:06,200 Speaker 1: capital instead, and she did just that, and the Boy 322 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:09,359 Speaker 1: Scouts handed out programs to a mixed race audience that 323 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:11,800 Speaker 1: was there in attendance, and she was introduced by the 324 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:15,680 Speaker 1: Secretary of the Interior, who introduced her by saying, quote, 325 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:19,080 Speaker 1: in this great auditorium under the sky, all of us 326 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:22,679 Speaker 1: are free. And after that introduction, she started her performance 327 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:24,680 Speaker 1: with My country tis of Bee And here's what it 328 00:18:24,720 --> 00:19:10,719 Speaker 1: sounded like. That clip is pretty moving just listening to it, 329 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:13,280 Speaker 1: but you can also see video footage of it, and 330 00:19:13,359 --> 00:19:16,119 Speaker 1: at the end she just breaks into this huge smile. 331 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:19,720 Speaker 1: She's clearly aware of what an effect it had, and 332 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:23,520 Speaker 1: looking back, it's clearly a moment of activism. It seems 333 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:26,240 Speaker 1: like a preface to the civil rights movement that really 334 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:28,920 Speaker 1: doesn't kick off for a few more years. But at 335 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:33,800 Speaker 1: the time, Anderson herself didn't really identify as an activist. 336 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:36,920 Speaker 1: She wasn't really interested in doing that or or being 337 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:40,200 Speaker 1: that person. In fact, she had spent most of her 338 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:44,480 Speaker 1: career avoiding racially charged situations altogether. She would take her 339 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:49,600 Speaker 1: meals in hotel rooms to avoid uncomfortable situations at restaurants. 340 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:53,840 Speaker 1: She'd sometimes have her white accompanis fetch her food from 341 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:56,240 Speaker 1: a restaurant that she wasn't able to go into. And 342 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:59,679 Speaker 1: she'd even try to take cars instead of figurgated trains 343 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:02,960 Speaker 1: since the was such a hassle navigating all of the 344 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 1: social situations involved with that. Yes, and she would stay 345 00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:10,640 Speaker 1: with friends whenever she could. In Princeton, New Jersey, for example, 346 00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:13,520 Speaker 1: the naessaw In refused her room, so she ended up 347 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:17,640 Speaker 1: staying with her pal Albert Einstein instead, which doesn't sound 348 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 1: so bad to me. And while she had refused to 349 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:25,119 Speaker 1: sing in horizontally segregated venues, she accepted vertically segregated concerts. 350 00:20:25,119 --> 00:20:26,840 Speaker 1: So we were talking a little bit about that before. 351 00:20:27,119 --> 00:20:30,800 Speaker 1: Horizontally segregated means that there would be white people in 352 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:34,439 Speaker 1: the orchestra section and then the black people would be 353 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:37,520 Speaker 1: up in the kind of nosebleed speaks in the Balkindy. Yeah, 354 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:41,080 Speaker 1: And vertical segregation was everybody sort of had the opportunity 355 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:43,920 Speaker 1: to have a good seat, but they were secret. So 356 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:46,400 Speaker 1: imagine a line down the middle. So if whether you're 357 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:48,680 Speaker 1: black or white, you could still buy a cheap seat, 358 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:51,040 Speaker 1: or you could buy a really good seat up close, 359 00:20:51,119 --> 00:20:54,359 Speaker 1: so she made that distinction. She at least insisted on 360 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:56,399 Speaker 1: that she wanted people to be able to buy the 361 00:20:56,400 --> 00:20:59,199 Speaker 1: seats they wanted. So yeah, she wasn't. She wasn't looking 362 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:02,880 Speaker 1: to be the figure of activism. And she even had 363 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:06,399 Speaker 1: misgivings about performing the Lincoln Memorial Concert in the first place, 364 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:09,240 Speaker 1: because by this point, because of the D A. R 365 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:13,880 Speaker 1: controversy and Eleanor Roosevelt's involvement, it was really really high profile. 366 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:17,239 Speaker 1: But part of her misgivings were just voice related. They 367 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:20,960 Speaker 1: were just about the music. She had only performed once 368 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:25,119 Speaker 1: before outside, so imagine your second concert outside. It's in 369 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:29,119 Speaker 1: front of seventy five thousand people and broadcast nationally. But 370 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:33,160 Speaker 1: she did it anyway, and and she certainly didn't dwell 371 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:36,880 Speaker 1: on the triumph once it was over either. In her autobiography, 372 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:41,600 Speaker 1: she initially wished that the National Mall concert, which is 373 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:44,679 Speaker 1: probably the most identifiable part of her life, was not 374 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:48,400 Speaker 1: in the book her I think her co writer insisted 375 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:51,240 Speaker 1: that it was, but to her the success she had 376 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:54,480 Speaker 1: had in Europe, where she was celebrated just as a 377 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,720 Speaker 1: great singer and not a public figure, not some sort 378 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:00,879 Speaker 1: of civil rights figure was more important to her, but 379 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:04,359 Speaker 1: the concert also marked the real pinnacle of Anderson's career. 380 00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:08,400 Speaker 1: The Roosevelts remained champions and fans of hers, and Anderson 381 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 1: became the first African American performer at the White House, 382 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:14,320 Speaker 1: and later in nineteen thirty nine she performed there in 383 00:22:14,359 --> 00:22:16,760 Speaker 1: front of the King and Queen of England. And then 384 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:19,160 Speaker 1: in nineteen forty three she was invited by none other 385 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:21,719 Speaker 1: than the d A R To perform a benefit concert. 386 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:26,160 Speaker 1: So they came around face years and she she continued 387 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:30,160 Speaker 1: really high profile events too. She performed at Eisenhower's second inauguration, 388 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:33,960 Speaker 1: she performed at John F. Kennedy's inauguration, and in the 389 00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:37,600 Speaker 1: nineteen fifties, even with a kind of fading voice, by 390 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:40,679 Speaker 1: this point she had traveled extensively, she had sunk so 391 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:44,280 Speaker 1: many concerts, and she was getting older, she still made 392 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:49,440 Speaker 1: her Metropolitan opera debut in Verdi's m Bala on Mascara 393 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:52,919 Speaker 1: and um I am not familiar with that opera, but 394 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:56,720 Speaker 1: supposedly even though it's a small part, it's a really 395 00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:59,560 Speaker 1: really good part. It's vital to the story, and it's 396 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:03,760 Speaker 1: got eight music. And she had done Aria's obviously all 397 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:06,800 Speaker 1: through her career, but she hadn't ever done an opera before, 398 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:08,719 Speaker 1: so you know she was going to have to act 399 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:12,120 Speaker 1: and wear a costume and really really sort of take 400 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:15,920 Speaker 1: on new roles in performing. And the part also extended 401 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:19,159 Speaker 1: into notes that were now uncomfortably high for her, so 402 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:21,919 Speaker 1: she was reluctant to to get into this in the 403 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:26,000 Speaker 1: first place, but finally she agreed, because, after all, who 404 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:29,120 Speaker 1: could resist a debut at the Met in in there. 405 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:31,520 Speaker 1: I think she's in her fifties or sixties by this point, 406 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:34,159 Speaker 1: her fifties, I don't know. See was pretty nice. The 407 00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:36,840 Speaker 1: rest have been a good lure to She was paid 408 00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:40,159 Speaker 1: one thousand dollars per show, which at that point was 409 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:44,160 Speaker 1: the highest fee paid to a MET singer to date. 410 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:48,679 Speaker 1: Attendees to the show included Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Truman, and 411 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:51,399 Speaker 1: the Duchess of Windsor, and she got a five minute 412 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:54,399 Speaker 1: ovation at the end, so she probably didn't have as 413 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:56,879 Speaker 1: much reason to worry as she thought when people just 414 00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:59,080 Speaker 1: wanted to see her After the show and she finally 415 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:01,000 Speaker 1: got to go back to her dressing room, she had 416 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:04,400 Speaker 1: two thousand telegrams come in. I mean, can you imagine 417 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:07,439 Speaker 1: what that would be like then. That was actually, even 418 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:09,720 Speaker 1: when some people were starting to call for her to 419 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:13,520 Speaker 1: maybe consider retirement, she just had so many people who 420 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:16,440 Speaker 1: still wanted to see her that she didn't really consider 421 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:18,880 Speaker 1: it for a while. So she kept on touring, even 422 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:21,159 Speaker 1: though she did slow her pace a little bit. She 423 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:26,240 Speaker 1: eventually visited every continent except for Antarctica. She will just 424 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:29,639 Speaker 1: give you a few highlights of these global tour. She 425 00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:32,720 Speaker 1: performed in front of the Imperial Court in Japan. She 426 00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:36,119 Speaker 1: was the first African American to do so. She toured 427 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:39,680 Speaker 1: Israel because she really wanted to see places that had 428 00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:43,320 Speaker 1: inspired spirituals, like the River Jordans, the Walls of Jericho. 429 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:47,480 Speaker 1: And an interesting detail about that, since German was not 430 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:52,000 Speaker 1: um a very highly considered language in Israel at that time, 431 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:55,439 Speaker 1: she performed a bronze piece which was originally written in 432 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:59,959 Speaker 1: German translated into Hebrew, and I read a little metropo 433 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,560 Speaker 1: all to an opera piece about that, and it noted 434 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:05,080 Speaker 1: that the audience would not have cared if she had 435 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:08,000 Speaker 1: performed it in German, but they were just thrilled that 436 00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:11,080 Speaker 1: she did take the extra stat to to learn it 437 00:25:11,119 --> 00:25:13,800 Speaker 1: in Hebrew and sing it that way. After that, she 438 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:17,280 Speaker 1: traveled to Australia and also to New Zealand and her sixties, 439 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:20,679 Speaker 1: and she didn't integrated tour of Texas later too, And 440 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:23,840 Speaker 1: she also made recording, so while she wasn't traveling, she 441 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 1: was putting her voice on to tape. She did a 442 00:25:26,359 --> 00:25:28,800 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty tracks for R. C. A Victor, as 443 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:32,760 Speaker 1: well as a documentary that was narrated by another great voice, 444 00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:35,920 Speaker 1: Edward R. Murrow, that was called The Lady from Philadelphia. 445 00:25:36,080 --> 00:25:39,159 Speaker 1: And during all of this work she settled down to 446 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:42,120 Speaker 1: she married an old sweetheart. She had known him for 447 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:46,240 Speaker 1: I think since her her twenties, Orpheus Fisher, and together 448 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 1: they bought a farm in Danbury, Connecticut, and they called 449 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:52,960 Speaker 1: it Marianna. So she she was semi retired. I think 450 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:56,320 Speaker 1: that she was still a pretty busy lady, though, yes 451 00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:59,320 Speaker 1: she was. In August nineteen sixty three, she returned to 452 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:02,360 Speaker 1: the side of her previous triumph to sing He's got 453 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:04,639 Speaker 1: the whole world in his hands, but her voice had 454 00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:06,920 Speaker 1: gone to this point so that she only got a 455 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:10,080 Speaker 1: light applause for this. So that made her start to 456 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:13,480 Speaker 1: think really seriously at this point about retirement, and she 457 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:16,960 Speaker 1: began a farewell tour That final tour started with a 458 00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:21,399 Speaker 1: performance in October nineteen sixty four Constitution Hall, and it 459 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: included fifty cities overall, and the last performance was at 460 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:28,000 Speaker 1: Carnegie Hall. She lived in Connecticut until the last year 461 00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:30,359 Speaker 1: of her life, when she finally moved to Oregon to 462 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:32,879 Speaker 1: live with her nephew, who was a conductor. And she 463 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:36,040 Speaker 1: died in nineteen at age ninety four. Yeah, and there's 464 00:26:36,119 --> 00:26:41,000 Speaker 1: some discrepancies about her age. She I read in two 465 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:43,920 Speaker 1: different sources. One that she adjusted her age so that 466 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:47,000 Speaker 1: she would be allowed to sing as a child in 467 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:49,840 Speaker 1: a certain choir. She moved it up a couple of years. 468 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:54,119 Speaker 1: Another thing I saw, though, she was so disappointed that 469 00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:57,240 Speaker 1: she had had to drop out of high school temporarily 470 00:26:57,320 --> 00:26:59,680 Speaker 1: and not graduate high school until she was twenty four, 471 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:04,320 Speaker 1: that she's subtracted six years from her birthday, making her 472 00:27:04,359 --> 00:27:08,400 Speaker 1: younger than her two younger sisters. So yeah, it's it's 473 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:11,119 Speaker 1: kind of I think she even had seventy five and 474 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:15,119 Speaker 1: eightieth birthday celebrations that were definitely not her seventy and 475 00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:19,440 Speaker 1: eightieth birthdays. But there you go, just a little don't 476 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:22,960 Speaker 1: totally trust any age you see associated with Mary Anderson. 477 00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:25,479 Speaker 1: Good to know well, I guess when you're that talented, 478 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 1: you can get away with a lot. So we have 479 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:30,879 Speaker 1: a few more fun random facts for you about Marion Anderson. 480 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:35,440 Speaker 1: She is on the five thousand dollar savings bond, which 481 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:38,720 Speaker 1: is pretty cool. I mean that's almost like being on 482 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:42,800 Speaker 1: a bill, like a dollar bill. That's a hefty savings bond. 483 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:46,000 Speaker 1: It's pretty heppily the best people know about you. Yeah, 484 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:49,320 Speaker 1: and she yeah, actually it's the highest one right now 485 00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:52,960 Speaker 1: because the ten thousand bond was apparently discontinued according to 486 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:56,399 Speaker 1: the Treasury site. UM. She's also on a U S 487 00:27:56,520 --> 00:27:59,800 Speaker 1: postage stamp, and I thought this was really kind of 488 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:03,120 Speaker 1: and yet but the d a R hosted the dedication 489 00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:07,400 Speaker 1: ceremony for the unveiling of her postage stamp. They are 490 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,119 Speaker 1: really sorry about their treatment of Marian Anderson, judging by 491 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:14,520 Speaker 1: their website. And if you want to learn more about her, 492 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:18,520 Speaker 1: there's just so much out there, so many pictures, so 493 00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 1: many recordings. It was really refreshing to to research something 494 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:25,119 Speaker 1: like this, UM after I don't know some of the 495 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:29,520 Speaker 1: more medieval topics than doing She's very well documented. UM. 496 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:33,119 Speaker 1: There's a University of Pennsylvania collection with all sorts of 497 00:28:33,119 --> 00:28:36,000 Speaker 1: stuff on her and a really great tribute in The 498 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:39,360 Speaker 1: New Yorker by Alex Ross. And that's actually how I 499 00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:42,320 Speaker 1: first heard about her. Um John Fuller, who hosts Stuff 500 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:46,600 Speaker 1: from the B Side, suggested her after reading the Ross profile, 501 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:50,640 Speaker 1: any recordings that you'd recommend, Um, I guess to start 502 00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:55,160 Speaker 1: with watching that whole Lincoln Memorial concert. That's that's what 503 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:57,880 Speaker 1: I did. I think I didn't. I didn't listen to 504 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,840 Speaker 1: it at all until I was about halfway through with research, 505 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:04,560 Speaker 1: and by that point it was it was so extra poignant. 506 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:06,680 Speaker 1: I think. I mean you and I were talking about 507 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:09,720 Speaker 1: how when we were sort of going over this. Yeah, 508 00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:11,360 Speaker 1: I watched it right before we came in here, and 509 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:14,280 Speaker 1: I got kind of tiary. Yeah, it's it's really moving, 510 00:29:14,320 --> 00:29:17,000 Speaker 1: and I think if you watch the video it's it's 511 00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:22,400 Speaker 1: even more so. So. If you have any other singer, dancer, 512 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:25,800 Speaker 1: performer suggestions that kind of kind of went with this one, 513 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:28,920 Speaker 1: because I so enjoyed doing that Belly Ruth episode a 514 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:31,560 Speaker 1: few weeks ago, So send them our way. You can 515 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:34,840 Speaker 1: email us that history podcast at how stuff works dot com. 516 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 1: We're also on Twitter at misst in history, and we're 517 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:40,640 Speaker 1: on Facebook and if you want to find out a 518 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:42,720 Speaker 1: little bit more about this group that did a total 519 00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:45,560 Speaker 1: one eighty on Marion Anderson. We have an article on 520 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,320 Speaker 1: our website called how the d a R Works, and 521 00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:50,360 Speaker 1: you can look it up by visiting our homepage and 522 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:53,880 Speaker 1: typing and d A R at www dot how stuff 523 00:29:53,880 --> 00:29:59,479 Speaker 1: works dot com. Be sure to check out our new 524 00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:02,960 Speaker 1: video by podcast, Stuff from the Future. Join houstaf Works 525 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:06,560 Speaker 1: staff as we explore the most promising and perplexing possibilities 526 00:30:06,560 --> 00:30:10,720 Speaker 1: of tomorrow. The houst Works iPhone app has arrived. Download 527 00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:17,000 Speaker 1: it today on iTunes, m