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Late Career (1955-1965): The Story
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Marian arrives in Israel
in April of 1955. |
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Marian prepares for a concert in Israel. |
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Following her successful Met debut, Marian toured Israel for a large portion of 1955. Between performances, Marian at last saw the places that had inspired her beloved spirituals: the high walls of Jericho and the wide river Jordan. Marian enjoyed her time in Israel, and the tour was quite successful. She gave several performances of Brahms' Alto Rhapsody with the Israel Philharmonic. This piece is written in German, but that language was generally boycotted by Israel following the Holocaust. The men's chorus prepared a Hebrew translation to sing at the concert. No one would have batted an eyelash if Marian had sung the original German, which she had memorized decades before, but she learned the entire text in Hebrew. The audience was thrilled.
My Lord, What a Morning
When Marian returned to the States, she finally began writing her autobiography. She enlisted Howard Taubman, a music writer from the New York Times, to help her. Taubman recorded a series of interviews at Marianna Farm to aid him in the writing process. Marian's relationship with her co-writer was more of a struggle than a collaboration. Marian refused to turn over her personal documents to Taubman; she also shied away from potentially awkward topics of conversation, including her experiences with racism and discrimination. She wouldn't discuss such topics with Taubman until he turned his tape recorder off. When Taubman brought a draft of the written work to her, she was unhappy with two specific things: the title (My Lord, What a Morning) and the fact that the famous Lincoln Memorial concert played such a large role. If Marian had had her way, that concert would have been left out of the book entirely. She felt that it put her too close to the center of the civil rights movement, forcing her into a political position she had never intended to claim. But Marian finally gave in to Taubman, and reviewers and readers alike loved the published book.
The Lady from Philadelphia
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Marian and her entourage
arrive in Manila.
(Center, from left, Orpheus,
Marian, and Franz Rupp.) |
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Marian in concert in
Manila, October, 1957. |
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Marian's lifelong reluctance to take a public stand on the divisive issue of race, combined with her graceful persona and her strong democratic principles, made her a favorite with political leaders. She sang at the inaugurations of Eisenhower (2nd term) and Kennedy. In 1957 the State Department asked Marian to tour Southeast Asian countries as a representative of America. Marian would give 26 concerts in 12 countries over the course of about 9 weeks. She had recently turned 60, and her voice wasn't all it used to be, but music was just one part of her mission in Asia. The United States government was concerned about the foreign political climate, especially the spread of communism throughout Asia; here was an opportunity to show how much could be accomplished by any race under the guiding light of democracy.
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Marian with young patients
at a Singapore hospital, 1957. |
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A team of documentary filmmakers accompanied Marian and her husband to Asia. They were filming a television special for CBS, to be narrated by Edward R. Murrow and broadcast throughout the United States. "The Lady from Philadelphia," as the finished film was called, was criticized for being little more than American propaganda. The cameras focused on imagery representing democratic ideals, but Marian saw much more than that during her tour. She met the King of Thailand and many dignitaries. She also ventured into poorer neighborhoods, and her heart was touched by all of the people she encountered. In one of her most memorable performances, Marian learned the Malay words to the Malaysian national anthem, and sang it for a Kuala Lumpur crowd celebrating Malaysia's entry into the United Nations.
At the United Nations
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Marian at the
United Nations. |
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Marian in concert at
Carnegie Hall, 1958. |
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Marian discussing performing.
Audio Link credit:
from Marian Anderson Collection,
Rare Book and Manuscript Library,
University of Pennsylvania.
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In 1958, Marian was also appointed a delegate to the UN. While the role she played was mostly honorary, she took her part very seriously. Her trip to Asia had convinced her that she wanted to help the poor people of the region, even if it meant stepping into politics. She was assigned to the UN's Trusteeship Council, which administered over eleven different trust territories throughout Africa and the Southwestern Pacific, many of which were struggling to achieve self-governance.
The Sunset of a Career
Many universities and organizations held Marian in high esteem for her career achievements, and honored her with many awards during this period of her life. Unfortunately, while Marian was receiving high honors, reviews of her American concerts sunk to new lows. In the first few months of 1959, Ebony magazine published an entire article devoted to criticisms of Marian's performances, chronicling the singer's declining abilities. Other critics, too, dropped not-too-subtle hints that it might be time for the now 62 year old Anderson to consider retirement. After all, a performing career spanning over 50 years is nothing to be ashamed of.
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Marian and some new
Australian buddies. |
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But as Marian herself said, "It is impossible to make music like a faucet. It is something of the heart and soul. As long as they move, the music is there. Whether you can bring it forward is something else."1 Marian kept performing. In May of 1962, she traveled to Australia and New Zealand for a tour that was very demanding on her body and voice. She would perform 15 concerts and 4 separate concert programs there over the course of two months. She did not want to disappoint the audience in these countries, and they were grateful for her performances. One writer commented that "an interview with Marian Anderson is like an audience with a Crowned Head - in fact it'd be easy to imagine her as Empress of America, if there were such an appointment."2 It was clear, however, that her voice was no longer in its prime. She was 65 years old.
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Marian and President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1963. |
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Marian returned to the United States to fulfill a long-postponed concert tour - in the American South. Because of racism and discrimination, Marian had stayed away from Southern venues since the late 1940s. But in February of 1963, she undertook the first-ever integrated tour of the state of Texas. One thousand fans stood in the pouring rain in San Antonio just to welcome her arrival to the state. She was made an honorary citizen of Texas, and met with Vice President Lyndon Johnson and his wife Lady Bird. While not a critical success, the tour of Texas was hailed as a milestone in race relations.
Then came another milestone in domestic race relations - the August 1963 March on Washington. Marian was scheduled to sing the Star Spangled Banner from the Lincoln Memorial to start an afternoon rally, but because of the crowded streets, she did not make it to the platform in time for her performance. Instead, she sang "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" at the end of the rally. For the first time in her performing career, this song did not inspire her audience, and was met instead with polite applause. Soon after, Marian began discussing the prospect of a farewell tour with Hurok. A press conference held on December 12, 1963 made her upcoming retirement public knowledge.
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