Who would have thought that a political assassination at a masked ball in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1792 would lead to the very remarkable debut of an opera singer 163 years later? If anyone could have conjured up that unlikelihood, would that person then have thought that the latter event would cause more ripples than the earlier one?
Gustavus III was the unhappy monarch whose death provided the inspiration for the opera by Giuseppe Verdi, "Un Ballo in Maschera" or "A Masked Ball." The king was assassinated by disaffected nobles who didn't like the idea that he would place himself at the head of a crusade against revolutionary France. Yet another such attempt occurred when the opera was in rehearsal in 1858-59 — on the life of Napoleon III. This was a bit too close to home, and the composer was prevailed upon to find another libretto for his music. He refused, becoming a national hero in the process. He did, however, accede to the censor who suggested changing the scene to the upstart young America in the late 1700s.
The King of Sweden was thus transformed into the Governor of Boston, and until recently, usually stayed there. On stage, that is. Of late, however, the opera is sometimes set in its orginal time and place. But on that magical night of Jan. 7, 1955, Marian Anderson made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, and the opera made history yet again. She was one month shy of her 58th birthday. Unfortunately, that first night, her political success outweighed all other considerations. Still, she was an artistic as well as critical success, and flung open the golden curtains to a new generation of singers.
Marian Anderson was not the first black artist of note, but she was the first to break a notable barrier. Roland Hayes earns the title of first great black artist to be a successful concert artist in America. As later artists would, he first had to go to Europe to be appreciated. Born in Georgia in 1887, (during the hey-day of the Minstrel Show) he moved to Chattanooga after the death of his father. It was here in the churches that he became exposed to music. Before long, a visitor heard Hayes sing and was so impressed that he introduced the young man, via recordings, to great music and great singers. Hayes was determined to study music and enrolled at Fisk University. After graduation, he was invited to join the Fisk Jubilee Singers in Boston. Following more study — this time at the New England Conservatory — he made his debut in Symphony Hall in Boston. He was 30 years old.
