Late Life: Background Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait" In 1942, shortly after the nation entered World War II, American composer Aaron Copland was commissioned to write a piece to "fortify and comfort" the American people. The resulting piece, "A Lincoln Portrait," pairs orchestra with spoken narration, using excerpts from Lincoln's most famous speeches and traditional American folk songs. It has been performed countless times and serves as a comfort in times of trouble. Famous narrators have included James Earl Jones, Al Gore, Gregory Peck, and of course, Marian Anderson. The full text to "A Lincoln Portrait" and a recording with NPR's Fred Child and the US Marine Band may be found at: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4165357 • Honors and Awards Marian's Birthday Controversy Marian was very upset that she had to put off attending high school in order to make money for her family. She wished those years of working could just disappear, and so, in a sense, she erased them from her life. Marian began giving her birth date as 1903, making herself 6 years younger on paper to account for the time lost working. This also made her "younger" than her sisters, both of whom she saw being born. Whenever her sister Ethel, who was born in 1902, was asked her own age she hesitated. Everyone knew that Ethel was Marian’s younger sister, but according to Marian’s “new” birthdate Ethel was a full year older than her. She always eventually replied that she'd have to go ask Marian. This meant that when Marian's 75th and 80th birthdays were celebrated at Carnegie Hall, they were really celebrating her 81st and 86th birthdays, respectively.

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