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PHOTOCOPIED OCtober 1, 2002; NASM PRESERVATION COPY [[newspaper clipping]] Marian Anderson Adds Pathos To 'Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen' When Marian Anderson sings "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen," the words and music of this folk-song seem to many listeners to have a special meaning. Miss Anderson is one of the greatest singers the world has ever known. Her glorious contralto voice has won acclaim throughout the globe. She has sung before royalty abroad and has been welcomed and honored by the great personages of many lands. Barred From DAR Hall Yet, in her own country, she has often shared the distress of millions of less gifted brown Americans, segregated and discriminated against because they are not white. Even in the Capital of the U.S. Miss Anderson was not spared the unique humiliation which this country reserves for its citizens of color, as when the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to let her sing in Constitution Hall in 1939. [[image - black and white photo of Marian Anderson]] [[caption]] MISS MARIAN ANDERSON [[/caption]] The bitterness of this rebuff and other experiences has never been reflected, however, in either the manner or the expressions of "our Marian." Lets Her Voice Speak In a way, she exemplifies much of the best spiritula traditions of the race by letting the beauty of her singing alone proclaim to the world the heights of her aspirations and achievements. Born in a humble home in Philadelphia, Miss Anderson attended public schools in the Quaker City where the promise of her voice was first revealed when she sang as a child in the choir at Union Baptist church. It was at a church concert in Philadelphia that funds were raised which enabled her to start taking lessons with an Italian singing teacher, Giuseppe Boghetti, in Philadelphia. Not long afterward she began her singing career in 1924, winning first prize a year later when she competed with 300 other singers at the Lewisohn stadium in New York City. But music study in this country alone is never sufficient, it seems, and presently Miss Anderson went to Europe for training and for the acclaim which were not to be given her until later in her own land. Interestingly enough, while she was in England she studied with Amanda Ira Aldridge, the daughter of another great colored artist, Ira Aldridge, who became famous as a Shakespearean actor. Acclaimed in U.S. When Miss Anderson returned to the U.S. after her triumphs abroad, she was in much demand for recitals here. In cities throughout the U.S. music-lovers enthusiastically acclaimed the beauty of her voice. Then, in 1939, in the Nation's Capital, Howard university arranged to have Miss Anderson appear in its concert series. Dr. John Lovell Jr., associate professor of English at Howard, who became executive secretary of the Marian Anderson Committee, recalls how the orders for tickets poured in at the university. Denied Central Auditorium Pretty soon it was evident that a larger hall would be needed than the one available at Howard. University officials applied for the hall at the white Central high school (now Cardozo, for colored) in Washington. But the D.C. School Board turned down the request, on the grounds that the segregated school system in the Capital would not permit a mixed audience at Central high. Later the School board announced that Central could be used, if an agreement were signed that this would not set a precedent. DAR Stood Pat An aroused citizenry then organized the Marian Anderson Committee, with the late Charles Houston, celebrated attorney, as chairman. Constitution Hall was next sought for the Anderson recital but this request also was turned down, and its refusal seconded by the Daughters of the American Revolution, who own the hall. The wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and other prominent personages resigned from the DAR in protest against this bigoted stand, but the DAR stood pat. Outdoor Recital Arranged Finally, Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes arranged for Miss Anderson to give an outdoor recital on the steps of the Impressive Lincoln Memorial in Washington on April 9, in 1939. About 75,000 persons crowded around the Lincoln Memorial to see and hear Miss Anderson that Easter Sunday, while millions of others listened to her over the radio. "So Marian Anderson was 'crucified' because she was born blak," editorialized the Miami News. "That was the decree of the rulers of Constitutional Hall. "What results? "She sings instead from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, built in honor of the emancipator of her race. Instead of singing to a few thousands pent up in Constitution Hall, she sings to tens of thousands in the open air and to millions beside their radios; while members of Congress attend in person to honor the singer and be lifted by the song." Other Southern Papers Agree The Miami News, incidentally, was one of many Southern daily and weekly newspapers which editorialized in favor of Miss Anderson singing at Constitution Hall or condemned the DAR refusal. G. James Fleming, analyzing 325 editorials on the issue which appeared in Southern newspapers, found that 85.8 percent of the editorials took a stand similar to that of the Miami News.) Marian Anderson did sing in Constitution Hall about four years later. She accepted an invitation from the DAR to open a series of War Relief concerts there in 1943. 13 Years Afterward But it was not until 13 years after the 1939 recital that the DAR finally relaxed its ban against individual colored artists appearing professionally in Constitution Hall. The singer who appeared, in the early Spring of 1952, was Soprano Dorothy Maynor. On April 20, 1952, Marian Anderson also sang again in Washington, once more on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The occasion was a memorial service honoring Mr. Ickes, who had died. This Spring Marian Anderson will come back to the Nation's Captial again, but she will not sing at the Lincoln Memorial. She will sing in Constitution Hall, the doors of which have finally been opened to her as a professional artist. Md. Episcopal Diocese Convenes Tuesday Night The evening service for the convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Marylanl will be held in the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m. The procession will be led by the crucifer and choir of St. Michael's followed by the delegates of the Women's Auxiliary and the lay delegates to the convention representing 118 parishes and missions of the Diocese of Maryland. The clergy of the diocese, the executive council, the standing committee, Archdeacon Albert H. Lucas, the secretary of the convention, and the Bishop of Maryland, the Rt. Rev. Noble C. Powell, D.D. will be present. The service will be conducted by the rector of the church, the Rev Don F. Fenn, D.D., the Archdeacon anl the secretary of the convention and the Bishop will make his annual address to the people of the Diocese. Man Hurt By Engine At Station Charles R. Craig, 31, of the 4400 block of Falls ter., se., was injured at Union Station early Tuesday morning. Police reports stated that Mr. Craig was operating a baggage truck in the station when he was struck by an engine. He was taken to Emergency Hospital in a Health Department ambulance. [[advertisement]] [[image - line drawing of three men looking closely at a drawing, other framed art hanging on the wall]] Letcher Art Center No. 1 & No. 2 Logan Circle, N.W. - 4017 Minnesota Ave., N.E. - 1436 H St., N.E. AIR-CONDITIONED VETERANS - CIVILIANS - ENROLL NOW! A New Trend is for Husband and Wife to Attend the Same Classes. Wives, Sisters, Non-Veterans, Prepare Now to Establish a Business. Day Evening- Full Time Part Time Classes [[image - black and white photo of three men and a woman]] [[caption]] Mr. Winton Coles, left, head of the Upholstery and Interior Decoration Department, shown instructing Miss Frieda Wilson, one of the many non-veteran students now enrolled at the Letcher Art Center. Other students shown are veterans. Many of the ladies of Washington are coming into the Center as non-veteran students and have added prestige and warmth to our institution. [[/caption]] COURSES OFFERED ARE: COMMERCIAL ART INTERIOR DECORATION UPHOLSTERING DRAPERIED SLIP COVERING PAINTING PLASTERING PAPER HANGING SILK SCREEN and SIGN PAINTING [[image - black and white photo of a bedroom]] [[caption]] A Room Designed And Arranged By The Interior Decorating Class [[/caption]] For Information Concerning The Letcher Art Center Call or Write MAIN OFFICE: NO. 1 LOGAN CIRCLE ADams 4-1088 Henry M. Letcher, Dir. (Major, Air Corps Res.) [[/advertisement]] Page 2 The Washington Afro-American, February 7, 1953 [[/newspaper clipping]]
