Discover an international singer who captivated royalty in Europe and defied the conscience of 1939 America. Watch rare archival footage and hear audio recordings exploring her life and career from the Metropolitan Opera to the State Department.
Copy and Paste the Following Code to Embed this Video:
Support for American Masters is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, AARP, Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, Judith and Burton Resnick, Blanche and Hayward Cirker Charitable Lead Annuity Trust, Koo and Patricia Yuen, Lillian Goldman Programming Endowment, Seton J. Melvin, Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, Anita and Jay Kaufman, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, The Ambrose Monell Foundation, Ellen and James S. Marcus, The Charina Endowment Fund, The Marc Haas Foundation and public television viewers.
Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands
(audience applauding) She was the first African American to make her debut at the Metropolitan Opera. She was pursued by nobility and aristocracy. She enjoyed the life of a diva. (Marian Anderson singing "Ave Maria") Marian Anderson was the first African American artist to be signed by RCA Victor. She was performing in Europe for Kings and Queens, and she would come back home to her own country and have to sit at the back of the train. In response, she stood flat-footed and she sang. Easter Sunday, April 9th, 1939. -
Marian Anderson
There was a multitude such in your wildest imagination. Even though we may not be able to articulate why that person's voice moves us so much because it's speaking to so many different parts of who we are. That's what her voice had, this incredible power in it to stop a nation. (crowd applauding)
Follow Us