Marian Anderson
Marian Anderson was an American contralto singer, among the most celebrated vocalists of the twentieth century.
Barred from performing at Constitution Hall in 1939 because she was Black, she sang instead on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to an audience of 75,000.
In 1955 she became the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera.
D.C. presidential monument
- segregationForced separation by group
- integrationCombining into a whole
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- dignityInnate personal worth
equality · protest · racism · Jim Crow · Eleanor Roosevelt · symbolism · courage · defiance
NYC opera institution
- ariaOperatic solo piece
- divaCelebrated female vocalist
- premiereFirst public performance
- debutFirst public appearance
stage · Verdi · conductor · costume · performance · classical · recital · concert hall
Sound from throat
- altoLower female voice
- registerRecord officially; vocal range
- rangeExtent of variation
- timbreSound's distinctive character
resonance · vibrato · deep · rich · low · vocal · tone · chest voice
Position number one
- breakthroughSudden important advance
- barrierObstruction preventing passage
- groundbreakerInnovator, first to act
- trailblazerFirst to forge ahead
pathfinder · historic · unprecedented · debut · achievement · legacy · inspiration · role model
Lincoln Memorial
D.C. presidential monument
- segregationForced separation by group
- integrationCombining into a whole
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
dignity · equality · protest · racism · Jim Crow · Eleanor Roosevelt · symbolism · courage · defiance · injustice
Metropolitan Opera
NYC opera institution
debut · stage · Verdi · conductor · costume · performance · classical · recital · concert hall · accompanist
voice
Sound from throat
timbre · resonance · vibrato · deep · rich · low · vocal · tone · chest voice · singer
first
Position number one
- breakthroughSudden important advance
- barrierObstruction preventing passage
- groundbreakerInnovator, first to act
trailblazer · pathfinder · historic · unprecedented · debut · achievement · legacy · inspiration · role model · icon
Marian AndersonGeorge Wallace
Alabama segregationist politician
segregationists · hatemongers · rabble-rousers · demagogues · Joseph McCarthy
Marian AndersonBessie Smith
Legendary blues vocalist