Music Features

Marian Anderson is known more for two events than for the talents that made them possible. But there is more to be told, and so she asks us to listen again for who and what we know her to be.

Music & Culture

Listening For Marian Anderson In The Past And Present

2:31pm August 29, 2019

by Shana L. Redmond

Anderson was an early inspiration for scholar Shana Redmond, who explores the places she still feels the diva's presence: an inscrutable photo, a scrap of silent film, a concert borne on her legacy.

An undated portrait of America contralto Marian Anderson at her home.

Music & Culture

Marian Anderson: The Most Modest Trailblazer

4:44pm August 28, 2019

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

The Black contralto put European art music and African-American spirituals in parity — and in her art, paved the way for generations of singers after her, both inside and outside classical music.

Marian Anderson sings at the Lincoln Memorial, 1939. Even as her mink coat might have served practical purposes, it was also richly symbolic.

Music & Culture

Fashion, Statement: The Legacy Of Marian Anderson's Fur Coat

10:10am August 28, 2019

by Gayle Wald

The coat Anderson wore at her iconic 1939 Lincoln Memorial performance connects her with a legacy of black women performers, from Bessie Smith to Beyoncé, who have used fur to send a message.

Kendrick Lamar performs at the 2015 BET Awards in Los Angeles.

Music & Culture

Both Party And Protest, 'Alright' Is The Sound Of Black Life's Duality

9:34pm August 26, 2019

by Andrew Limbong

The Kendrick Lamar song turned protest chant against police violence identifies a daily balancing act: There is hope, and there is despair. There's the ideal world, and there's the real one.

Queue Listen Now

Members of the 146-voice chorus, dressed as garment workers, in composer Julia Wolfe's Fire In My Mouth, which documents the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York.

Music & Culture

Tragic Fire Sparks Julia Wolfe's Latest Look At American Labor History

4:22pm August 26, 2019

by Tom Huizenga

On her new album, Fire in My Mouth, the Pulitzer-winning composer documents the tragedy behind New York City's 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

The Instrument of Hope is lacquered in black except for the shiny brass parts, which are clear lacquered. They include the lead pipe, which is made from bullets set end to end and drilled out so that air can flow through to make it a playable instrument.

A Trumpet Made Of Bullets And The Kids Who Inspired It Take Hope Around The Country

1:24pm August 25, 2019

by Talia Schlanger

The Instrument of Hope, a trumpet made partly of bullets and inspired by the survivors of the 2018 Parkland, Fla., mass shooting, is touring the country to promote healing.

Queue Listen Now

Billie Holiday performs on stage at the Sugar Hill nightclub in Newark, N.J. Farah Jasmine Griffin's 2001 book posed a challenge to biographers and helped reimagine Holiday's legacy.

Music & Culture

Returning To Lady: A Reflection On Two Decades 'In Search Of Billie Holiday'

10:12am August 23, 2019

by Farah Jasmine Griffin

Farah Jasmine Griffin's 2001 book on Billie Holiday posed a challenge to biographers and our understanding of Holiday. Here, she reflects on her changing connection to Lady Day since its release.

Looking Back At Jazz Singer Billie Holiday's Influence On American Music

7:57pm August 22, 2019

NPR Music is paying tribute to eight women who stand as pillars of American music. Throughline, NPR's history podcast, takes a look at Billie Holiday's life and influence.

Queue Listen Now

Ivo Pogorelich's new recording of Beethoven and Rachmaninoff sonatas is the pianist's first album in 21 years.

Music & Culture

A Confrontation With Music: Ivo Pogorelich's First Album In 21 Years

10:16am August 22, 2019

by Tom Huizenga

A trio of critics discuss the mercurial pianist's personal take on Beethoven and Rachmaninoff and what it means to color outside the lines in classical music.

The Blair House Collective reads poems for Turning the Tables

Music & Culture

Poems For Billie Holiday And Bessie Smith From The Blair House Collective

8:00am August 21, 2019

Poets Ciona Rouse, Caroline Randall Williams and Adia Victoria are the Blair House Collective. These poems honor two of the "living, breathing, earthbound women" who inspire the Collective's work.