On April 9, 1939, contralto Marian Anderson sang before an audience of 75,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. The outdoor location was chosen because Constitution Hall, which was owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution, refused to host Anderson owing to the color of her skin.

Why was Marian Anderson at the Lincoln Memorial?

On April 9, 1939, contralto Marian Anderson sang before an audience of 75,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. The outdoor location was chosen because Constitution Hall, which was owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution, refused to host Anderson owing to the color of her skin.

What song did Marian Anderson sing at the Lincoln Memorial?

After a brief intermission, Anderson returned to the microphones to sing a selection of black spirituals — “Gospel Train,” “Trampin’” and “My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord.” Finally, she returned for an encore, singing “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen.”

Who was Marian Anderson and why was she at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939?

Marian Anderson, the legendary African American contralto, sang at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday in 1939 after she was refused a performance at Washington’s Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution because she was black.

How many people attended Marian Anderson’s Lincoln Memorial concert?

75,000 people
Marian Anderson performing at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939. It was attended by approximately 75,000 people.

What is Marian Anderson’s legacy?

In 1955, Anderson broke the color barrier by becoming the first African-American to perform with the Metropolitan Opera. In 1958 she was officially designated delegate to the United Nations, a formalization of her role as “goodwill ambassador” of the U.S., and in 1972 she was awarded the UN Peace Prize.

Did Marian Anderson sing at Carnegie Hall?

In 1928, she sang for the first time at Carnegie Hall. Eventually, she decided to go to Europe where she spent a number of months studying voice before launching a highly successful European singing tour. In the late 1930s, Anderson gave about 70 recitals a year in the United States.

What song did Marian Anderson sing at the March on Washington?

was in the audience that day. It is fitting that Anderson was in attendance when Dr. King delivered his famous “I have a dream” speech many years later in 1963 — she performed at the March on Washington.

What are 3 important facts about Marian Anderson?

She was the first African American singer to perform at the White House and also the first African American to sing with New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Marian Anderson was born in Philadelphia on Feb. 17, 1902, and was educated in the public schools. She displayed a remarkable flair for singing when very young.

What role did first lady Eleanor Roosevelt play in Marian Anderson April 9 1939 performance at the Lincoln Memorial?

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt helped hold the concert at Lincoln Memorial, on federal property. The Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939, performance was attended by 75,000.

What did Marian Anderson do in 1955 Remarkable?

In 1955 Anderson became the first African-American to sing in an opera at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. And in 1963 she sang as part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in which Martin Luther King made his famous I Have a Dream speech. She sang, again, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Who organized a Marian Anderson concert?

Interior Harold Ickes
Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes helped organize the Easter Sunday event on April 9, 1939. Accompanied by a piano, Anderson first serenaded an integrated crowd of 75,000 people with the patriotic ballad, “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.” The entire concert lasted 25 minutes.

Did Marian Anderson marry?

Miss Anderson married Orpheus H. Fisher, an architect, in 1943; he died in 1986. They had no children.

Why was Marian Anderson denied entry to the Lincoln Memorial?

Published on Mar 26, 2010. Marian Anderson, contralto, was denied the right to perform at Constitution Hall by the DAR because of her color. Instead, and at the urging of Eleanor Roosevelt, Harold Ickes permitted her to perform at the Lincoln Memorial on April 9, 1939.

What happened to Marian Anderson?

Anderson died on April 8, 1993, one day shy of the 54th anniversary of her historic performance at the Lincoln Memorial. The Daughters of the American Revolution have since come full circle. Four years after refusing to let Marian Anderson sing at Constitution Hall, they invited her to perform at a benefit for the American Red Cross.

Why was Marian Anderson denied the right to perform at Dar?

Marian Anderson, contralto, was denied the right to perform at Constitution Hall by the DAR because of her color. Instead, and at the urging of Eleanor Roosevelt, Harold Ickes permitted her to perform at the Lincoln Memorial on April 9, 1939.

Was Marian Anderson a contralto?

That distinction belongs to the world-famous contralto Marian Anderson, whose performance at the Lincoln Memorial on April 9, 1939, made a compelling case for the transformative power of music, and in a place typically associated with the power of words.