She was a captivating siren of the Civil Rights movement, a songstress of great renown and talent. Marian Anderson was a pioneer in the world of classical vocal performance, breaking racial boundaries. Known for her famous concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, her life has touched the hearts of many, especially that of Prof. Allan R. Keiler (MUS), who wrote a biography on Anderson titled Marian Anderson: A Singer's Journey."I always thought that there were two kinds of biographers," Keiler said in a phone interview with the Justice. "One is a more professional one who writes lots of biographies because they are interested in the activity. And then there are the other kinds of biographers, and I think of myself as that kind, who is more personally related to a subject. I've always had a more personal feeling about Marian Anderson."

Anderson was born into a poor family in South Philadelphia in 1897. Even from the young age of two, people recognized her precocious talent for singing. Boasting a three-octave vocal range as she grew older, Anderson was immediately given many solo and duet opportunities in the first venue for her performances, the Union Baptist Church.

In the fledgling years of her music career, she met some difficulty because of her race. She was refused admission to a music school in town because the girl at the desk told her that "they didn't take coloreds." However, Anderson pressed on with the support of her family. Soon, she became increasingly famous, touring all over the United States and Europe. The culminating point of her career came when she was refused permission to perform at Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution, which compelled her to move her concert to the steps in front of the Lincoln Memorial. In fact, Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the DAR because of its prejudice. It was an incredibly powerful moment when Anderson sang "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" in her ringing contralto tones. She was in very high demand throughout her career, even receiving an honorary degree from Brandeis in 1960, though not many remember her incredible vocal powers, which was another reason that Keiler desired to spread the word about Anderson.

"I never thought she was accredited enough. She became so famous on the world stage as a kind of icon, as a kind of symbol for so many things in racial history and American history that I think people really lost sight of and were disconnected from how great a singer she was. That's what bothered me. You know, when you think about the great singers like Pavarotti or any of the classical singers, they don't have a bigger career outside of their own field, in other words, they haven't transcended music in the way she did. Everybody knows about the Lincoln Memorial concert. How many people have ever heard her sing Schubert? And that's what I wrote to her family; I said I wanted to write her biography because I think that her greatness as a singer has, through the years, become overshadowed. And they [her family] also agreed with me."

In addition, Keiler has participated as an adviser in the filming of a documentary about Anderson's life entitled Marian Anderson: A Song of Dignity of Grace. JustArts asked Keiler about what might be different between watching a documentary about her rather than reading about her in a book and he replied, "Well, there is a kind of immediacy. It can reach so many people simultaneously, and a biography doesn't. And if it is done well, it has a big impact. It has a kind of intensity and immediacy. It's brief. It captures, in an interesting way, and summarizes the life very vividly, especially since this film has so many extraordinary images . Especially when you hear her singing."And the power of her voice is truly startling. One can feel the intensity of emotion in her voice in the recordings of her spirituals such as "Deep River" and also in European classics like "Ave Maria."

Though the stylings of Marian Anderson might seem archaic to some, as most of her repertoire consisted of 18th- and 19th-century classical songs, her influence can still be felt today. Says Keiler, "What I think that she did do was to encourage black singers that they could have a career on the concert stage in a repertoire that they are not very often associated with. They could sing in music by Brahms, Schumann, Schubert and Debussy and so on as much as any white singer."

With the help of this documentary and Keiler's tireless work, the life and legacy of Marian Anderson can be fully valued by the modern appreciator of both music and civil rights.

The documentary on Marian Anderson's life, A Song of Dignity and Grace, can be found on Brandeis NOW in full. The biography can be found in Goldfarb Library.