Marie Selika Williams ( born Marie Selika Williams ; c. 1849 - 1937) is an American singer ( coloratura soprano ). She became the first black artist to perform in the White House .
| Marie Selika Williams Marie selika williams | |
|---|---|
| basic information | |
| Date of Birth | c. 1849 |
| Place of Birth | Natchez , Mississippi |
| Date of death | |
| A country |  USA |
| Professions | Opera singer |
| Singing voice | coloratura soprano |
Biography
Mary Smith was born around 1849 in Natchez , Mississippi . Shortly after she was born, her family moved to Cincinnati, where she took vocal lessons from a wealthy family. In the 1870s, she moved to San Francisco and studied with Signora Ji Bianchi. She then studied in Chicago with Antonio Farini, who taught the Italian vocal method. There, she met her classmate Sampson Williams, whom she later married. [1]
In 1878, Marie became the first black performer to perform at the White House [2] . She was introduced by Frederick Douglas and performed in the Green Room for President Rutherford Hayes and First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes [3] . In the same 1878, she performed at the Philadelphia Academy of Music and in the New York concert hall Steinway Hall in 1879. From 1882 to 1885, together with her husband, she gave a number of tours to European countries and, in particular, performed before Queen Victoria in the St. James Hall Concert Hall in 1883 [1] .
Williams probably took her stage name from the character of the opera Giacomo Meyerbera African Seliki [4] . Due to her characteristic performance of Mulder’s work “Polka Staccato” she received the nickname “Queen Staccato” [1] .
From 1885 to 1891, along with her husband, who took the pseudonym "Signor Velosco", gave a tour of the United States. Then they performed for the second time in Europe and in 1893 gave a performance at the World Columbian Exhibition . Soon after, they settled in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1896, she performed at the Carnegie Hall Concert Hall with her colleagues, Flora Batson, in and Sissiretta Jones [1] .
After the death of her husband in 1911, Williams gave private lessons and taught at the Martin-Smith Music School in New York [5] . She died on May 19, 1937 [1] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Lewis, Ellistine P. Selika, Marie Smith (c. 1849–1937) // Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia. - Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994. - P. 1022-1023. - ISBN 0-253-32774-1 .
- ↑ President Bush Celebrates Black Music Month
- ↑ Lusane, Clarence. The Black History of the White House . - New York: City Lights Publishers, 2013 .-- P. 227. - ISBN 978-0-87286-611-9 .
- ↑ Randel, Don Michael (1996). The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music , p. 824. Harvard. ISBN 9780674372993 .
- ↑ McNally, Deborah Williams, Marie Selika (c. 1849-1937) . The Black Past. Date of treatment December 1, 2013.