Abstract
Marian Anderson and Paul Robeson were two of America's greatest singers. They both shared a penchant for music that continued with them through their entire lives, and both were two of the first black Americans "to win secure places in the galaxy of concert stars" by the mid-1950s. Although they shared a similar passion, their careers and lives were extremely different. When faced with political situations throughout her singing career, Marian chose to remain relatively silent. Robeson, on the other hand, voiced his opinions about race relations to the entire country and was extremely involved in the political situation of the times. This paper, however, does not delve into the lives of these two icons beyond their music. Instead, it concentrates on what role music played in Marian Anderson's and Paul Robeson's lives , what types of music they were attracted to and for what reasons.

From the Paper
"Perhaps because Robeson had been singing for his own inner strength all his life that he was extremely singular in what he chose to sing. For example, in 1924 he gave solo concerts, singing the songs of H.T. Burleigh and by doing so "confirming that he had a potential concert career." Robeson did not like the classical European concert style of Burleigh's renditions, though. He preferred "the pure original spirituals arranged by Rosamond Johnson" and "he kept on working on them privately." From 1925 onwards he decided to sing solely spirituals and folk songs of other countries."

Tags:spirituals, classical, Giuseppe, Boghetti