Parle Mag
  • Home
  • Entertainment
  • Diddy Trial
  • Lifestyle
  • Interviews
  • Contact Us
  • Team Parlé
  • Podcast
  • Advertising
Facebook 0 Likes
Twitter 0 Followers
Instagram 0 Followers
Pinterest 0 Followers
LinkedIn 0
Reddit 0 Subscribers
TikTok 0
0
0
0
0
0
Parle Mag
Subscribe
Parle Mag
  • Home
  • Entertainment
    • Books
    • Celebrity
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Sports
    • Television News
  • Diddy Trial
  • Lifestyle
    • Beauty
    • Business
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Op-Ed
    • Politics
    • Relationships
    • Travel
  • Interviews
Featured Categories
black countries
About Parlé
4 Posts
View Posts
Taye Diggs reads a book in an episode of private practice.
About Parle Magazine
4 Posts
View Posts
About the Editor
3 Posts
View Posts
Ad Test
1 Posts
View Posts
Posts
  • Finances When Starting a Business 1
    How to Stay on Top of Your Finances When Starting a Business
    • October 9, 2025
  • Starting Your Own Online Radio Station 2
    Starting Your Own Online Radio Station: A Step-by-Step Guide
    • October 8, 2025
  • Health and Wellness Goals 3
    Shaping New Health and Wellness Goals
    • October 6, 2025
  • Finances When Starting a Business

    How to Stay on Top of Your Finances When Starting a Business

    • October 9, 2025
    View Post
  • Starting Your Own Online Radio Station

    Starting Your Own Online Radio Station: A Step-by-Step Guide

    • October 8, 2025
    View Post
  • Health and Wellness Goals

    Shaping New Health and Wellness Goals

    • October 6, 2025
    View Post
  • Celebrity
  • Music

Marion Anderson – The Baby Contralto

  • February 26, 2011
  • Team Parle
Marian Anderson
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
With a voice that bellowed from rafters, Marion Anderson proved that there’s so much more to the Black experience than the Blues and the sore spots felt in Negro spirituals.
Born 27 February 1897, Marian Anderson was the oldest of three daughters in Philadelphia, PA.  She had intended to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a teacher (as a means of financial security in a time when Black women were only considered useful as school teachers or mammies).  However, music got a hold of her and she just couldn’t let it go.  She transferred from William Penn High School to South Philadelphia High School to focus on her new desire to be a singer.
Through poverty and racial rejection, Anderson taught herself how to sing, garnering the nickname “The Baby Contralto” because of her thick lower register.  At the age of 15, she was privileged to meet one of the most sought after vocal teachers of the time, Guiseppe Boghetti, moving him to tears.  Through years of performance and travel across Europe, Anderson brought her rich mezzo-soprano to the forefront, toppling racism and self-doubt.
In 1955 at the age of 58, Marian Anderson became the first Black person to sing at the New York Metropolitan Opera as a regular member of the world renowned company.  She would later become a Goodwill Ambassador through the U.S. State Department and the American National Theatre and Academy, travelling through several parts of Asia.
Soft natured and non-confrontational, Marian Anderson conquered the critics and the second class citizenship she endured in the U.S. to become a pillar of Black strength, class, and sophistication.
 With a voice that bellowed from rafters, Marion Anderson proved that there’s so much more to the Black experience than the Blues and the sore spots felt in Negro spirituals.


Born 27 February 1897, Marian Anderson was the oldest of three daughters in Philadelphia, PA.  She had intended to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a teacher (as a means of financial security in a time when Black women were only considered useful as school teachers or mammies).  However, music got a hold of her and she just couldn’t let it go.  She transferred from William Penn High School to South Philadelphia High School to focus on her new desire to be a singer.
Through poverty and racial rejection, Anderson taught herself how to sing, garnering the nickname “The Baby Contralto” because of her thick lower register.  At the age of 15, she was privileged to meet one of the most sought after vocal teachers of the time, Guiseppe Boghetti, moving him to tears.  Through years of performance and travel across Europe, Anderson brought her rich mezzo-soprano to the forefront, toppling racism and self-doubt.

Marian Anderson
Marian Anderson Doing What She Did Best

In 1955 at the age of 58, Marian Anderson became the first Black person to sing at the New York Metropolitan Opera as a regular member of the world renowned company.  She would later become a Goodwill Ambassador through the U.S. State Department and the American National Theatre and Academy, travelling through several parts of Asia.
Soft natured and non-confrontational, Marian Anderson conquered the critics and the second class citizenship she endured in the U.S. to become a pillar of Black strength, class, and sophistication.

 

Advertisement

Written by Camiele White

Also Check Out:
Henrietta Lacks – Giving Life Through HeLa Cells
Asa Phillip Randolph – The Most Dangerous Negro in America
Introducing The NAACP 

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Related Topics
  • first Black person to sing at the New York Metropolitan Opera
  • Marion Anderson
  • singer Marion Anderson
  • The Baby Contralto
Team Parle

The collective team of Parlé Magazine. Twitter: @parlemag

Previous Article
  • Relationships

Series 1: For My Sistahs: Let’s Get It Together

  • February 25, 2011
  • Drea Camille
View Post
Next Article
The Greatest Story Never Told Album Review
  • Entertainment News
  • Music

Saigon ‘The Greatest Story Never Told’ – Album Review

  • February 26, 2011
  • Hil Scott
View Post
You May Also Like
Diddy sentencing
View Post
  • Celebrity
  • Diddy Trial
  • Entertainment News

The Aftermath of Power: Diddy Sentencing and Its Implications

  • Trent Lucas
  • October 4, 2025
Black Voice Actors You Didn’t Know Voiced Your Favorite Characters
View Post
  • Celebrity
  • Entertainment News
  • Film
  • Home Page

Black Voice Actors You Didn’t Know Voiced Your Favorite Characters

  • Obiorah Precious
  • October 1, 2025
Social Media Reacts to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Announcement
View Post
  • Celebrity
  • Entertainment News
  • Home Page
  • Lifestyle
  • Shows

Social Media Reacts to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Announcement

  • Obiorah Precious
  • September 29, 2025
d4vd connection to Los Angeles investigation
View Post
  • Celebrity
  • Entertainment News

Everything To Know About The D4vd Connection To The Los Angeles Murder Investigation

  • Obiorah Precious
  • September 24, 2025
A Look at the Best Rappers Who Became Actors
View Post
  • Celebrity
  • Entertainment News
  • Home Page
  • Music

A Look at Rappers Who Became the Best Actors

  • Obiorah Precious
  • September 23, 2025
The Most Liked Celebrity Couples in the US on Instagram
View Post
  • Celebrity
  • Entertainment News
  • Home Page
  • Lifestyle
  • Relationships

The Most Liked Celebrity Couples in the US on Instagram

  • Obiorah Precious
  • September 23, 2025
Hip-Hop Diss Songs: The Best Rap Roasts and battle of All Time
View Post
  • Entertainment News
  • Home Page
  • Music

Hip-Hop Diss Songs: The Best Rap Roasts of All Time

  • Obiorah Precious
  • September 20, 2025
Social Media Reacts To The Cardi B's 'Am I The Drama' Album
View Post
  • Entertainment News
  • Music

Social Media Reacts To The Cardi B ‘Am I The Drama’ Album

  • Obiorah Precious
  • September 19, 2025
1 comment
  1. Pingback: Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson – The Prodigy Astronomer - Parlé Magazine — The Voice of Urban Entertainment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts
  • Brian Thomas Jr. NFL
    From LSU Star to Jaguars Pro: Brian Thomas Jr.’s Journey To The NFL
    • October 4, 2025
  • Diddy sentencing
    The Aftermath of Power: Diddy Sentencing and Its Implications
    • October 4, 2025
  • 20 Best Black Led Movies and Series on Prime Video to Binge
    20 Best Black Led Movies and Series on Prime Video to Binge
    • October 3, 2025
Categories
Entertainment News
5773 Posts
View Posts
Interviews
868 Posts
View Posts
Lifestyle
2770 Posts
View Posts
Featured Posts
  • Finances When Starting a Business 1
    How to Stay on Top of Your Finances When Starting a Business
    • October 9, 2025
  • Starting Your Own Online Radio Station 2
    Starting Your Own Online Radio Station: A Step-by-Step Guide
    • October 8, 2025
  • Health and Wellness Goals 3
    Shaping New Health and Wellness Goals
    • October 6, 2025
  • Brian Thomas Jr. NFL 4
    From LSU Star to Jaguars Pro: Brian Thomas Jr.’s Journey To The NFL
    • October 4, 2025
  • Diddy sentencing 5
    The Aftermath of Power: Diddy Sentencing and Its Implications
    • October 4, 2025

RSS Parle Mag

  • How to Stay on Top of Your Finances When Starting a Business
  • Starting Your Own Online Radio Station: A Step-by-Step Guide
  • Shaping New Health and Wellness Goals
  • From LSU Star to Jaguars Pro: Brian Thomas Jr.’s Journey To The NFL
  • The Aftermath of Power: Diddy Sentencing and Its Implications
Parle Mag
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Team Parlé
  • Podcast
  • Advertising
  • Parle Endeavors
  • Parle New York
  • Privacy Policy
parlemag.com - The Voice of The Culture

Input your search keywords and press Enter.