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Teacher Materials By Michael Minard, A. MacArthur Barr Middle School, Nanuet, NY
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Approx. Time Required: 2-3 class periods Skills Learned: Teachers and students alike will "discover" through research available on the web about an array of talent that existed before Anderson's rise to fame. Links to sites such as Afrocentric Voices in classical music (provided through hyperlink) will aid in the process of uncovering this cultural treasure. Lesson: Teacher: "Think of where you would be without certain people in your life. It could be a close relative, a coach, a teacher. Think of how they influenced your interests. Take a few minutes and write about one or more of these people, and how they gave you something that 'makes you what you are today'". Let the students discuss and share their writings. Marian Anderson's rich influences: Some Background When the great contralto Marian Anderson began to make her impression upon the world, many were astounded that a black woman could master a repertoire that combined brilliant presentations of classical works by Bach, Handel and Schubert with equally powerful renditions of Negro Spirituals. No woman of color had ever been celebrated by so many. She seemed absolutely unique in the world of music, someone who had reached international success despite the harsh prejudice she faced at home. How did she come by the quiet determination and faith to overcome the odds? Hidden in history, we discover that there were individuals, and in fact an entire culture, that both influenced Anderson artistically and provided powerful models for her strong character. The most important figure to Marian Anderson was the great black tenor and composer Roland Hayes. Marian heard perform in Philadelphia when she was a young girl. Hayes had an almost electric effect upon her when she heard him sing art songs by the German composer Johannes Brahms. Hayes, who had grown up in the south in near-poverty, had a long and difficult journey to success. He battled prejudice with a strong faith in his own abilities. He changed a world that believed that a black man could not sing classical music into a world where he himself gave command performances before kings and queens. The inclusion of Negro Spirituals in Hayes' repertoire of classics greatly influenced young Marian. His encouragement of her vocal gifts was important to her, but the example he provided as a person of grace and substance was his greatest contribution to her life. But there were other black musicians and composers who "set the stage" for Marian's career. These were men and women who excelled in the traditional disciplines of the European conservatories, but also had a passionate desire to protect and preserve the musical heritage found in the spirituals, the plantation songs sung in the days of slavery. While many of the newly freed people would have been happy to forget all aspects of the centuries of servitude, H.T. Burleigh loved the songs that he heard from his grandfather, a former slave. Burleigh knew, as others did, that the oral tradition of the slave songs required that someone preserve them, and write them down, before the last generations of slaves died out and the songs were lost forever. His love of both classical music and his heritage fueled his determination to succeed. Hard work, talent and ambition won Burleigh a scholarship to the National Conservatory of Music in New York City, where he met the great Czech composer Antonin Dvorak. It was Burleigh who, in addition to his talents as a composer and singer, introduced Dvorak to the plantation songs that led this famous European to declare that America had a wonderful national resource in its black folk music. In a sense, Burleigh's infectious love of spirituals was partly responsible for the melodies found in Dvorak's "Symphony #9: From the New World." Burleigh's wonderful piano settings of the spirituals, preserving the simple melodies in sensitive, beautifully-crafted arrangements, were a favorite of Anderson, Roland Hayes and the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Another man with thorough classical training and an abiding desire to preserve the plantation songs before they were lost was Hall Johnson. He realized that the spirituals his grandmother, a former slave, had introduced him to were "unique in the world of music." His settings of spirituals were also performed by Marian Anderson. He went on to concertize extensively with his own internationally-recognized chorus, and to even write music for Hollywood. R. Nathaniel Dett was the first African-American to graduate from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. His commitment to setting spirituals was inspired by listening to a Dvorak string quartet: he recognized the plantation song melodies that he had heard from his grandmother! (Imagine: from Burleigh to Dvorak to Dett!) He went on to win many classical prizes and degrees for his compositions, and studied for a time with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. There were many others: Will Marion Cook, who eventually incorporated black folklore and music in all of his compositions. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Florence B. Price (the first recognized black classical composer) and Margaret Bonds all sought excellence in the writing and performance of classical music, and strove to preserve their own cultural legacy. In 1919, many of these musicians created the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) in Chicago. In addition to its mission of supporting all genres of music performed and composed by black musicians, it gave scholarships to African-Americans of great talent. Marian Anderson received the very first scholarship from NANM. To a great degree, she was also the beneficiary of their hard work, pride and accomplishment. These classically-trained creative artists were the role models for the young woman who became the great Marian Anderson. Extensions of Activity (optional):
Closure / Reflection: It's been said that even the greatest people in some way stand on the shoulders of others. Marian Anderson, whose grace and humility was an important part of her personality, would be the first to recognize that, while she broke barriers for so many, there were others that "set the stage" for her. Assessment and Follow-up: Name an accomplishment of several of the men and women that we have studied in this lesson. Make a list of the things that they have in common. In what ways are they unique? |
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