1
00:00:01,201 --> 00:00:02,736
- Although she had a 
three octave range,

2
00:00:02,736 --> 00:00:05,138
she sang in the contralto mode.

3
00:00:05,138 --> 00:00:09,009
- Contralto, being the 
lowest possible female voice.

4
00:00:09,009 --> 00:00:12,479
She could sing that 
to break your heart

5
00:00:12,479 --> 00:00:15,915
into a million pieces, but 
she also had a great top.

6
00:00:15,915 --> 00:00:17,550
She had a great high C.

7
00:00:17,550 --> 00:00:19,853
And her voice could 
live above the staff,

8
00:00:19,853 --> 00:00:22,522
meaning in soprano territory.

9
00:00:23,957 --> 00:00:26,092
- [Marian] I don't feel 
that the singing a high C

10
00:00:26,092 --> 00:00:29,162
was any trouble at all, 
to me it was a lark.

11
00:00:29,162 --> 00:00:29,996
(piano music)

12
00:00:29,996 --> 00:00:32,899
(Marian vocalizes)

13
00:00:34,334 --> 00:00:38,138
One did not confine herself 
to being either soprano

14
00:00:38,138 --> 00:00:40,407
or contralto or anything else.

15
00:00:40,407 --> 00:00:43,143
But one was billed 
as a contralto.

16
00:00:46,112 --> 00:00:47,347
- In the operatic world,

17
00:00:47,347 --> 00:00:52,285
the sopranos always 
are the leading ladies.

18
00:00:53,420 --> 00:00:55,255
I've sung some of 
Marian Anderson's pieces

19
00:00:55,255 --> 00:00:57,424
and they were out 
of my tessitura,

20
00:00:57,424 --> 00:00:59,893
meaning they were 
out of my range.

21
00:00:59,893 --> 00:01:04,230
And my voice is classified 
as a higher voice than hers.

22
00:01:04,230 --> 00:01:06,866
It's one of the reasons that 
I believe that Marian Anderson

23
00:01:06,866 --> 00:01:10,370
was not classified as a soprano,

24
00:01:10,370 --> 00:01:12,172
is because that would mean

25
00:01:12,172 --> 00:01:16,209
that she would be the love 
interest of a white counterpart,

26
00:01:16,209 --> 00:01:19,579
which was not accepted 
at all at the time.

27
00:01:19,579 --> 00:01:22,182
(piano music)