Marian Anderson
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50 free Marian Anderson trivia questions with answers — music quiz, new questions added Oct 2026.
Marian Anderson had one of the great voices of the twentieth century, and in the spring of 1939 a refused booking turned her into a symbol. Barred from a concert venue in the capital because she was Black, she sang instead from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to an enormous crowd and a national radio audience. The story behind that afternoon is full of details most people have never heard. These fun facts about Marian Anderson, written as quiz questions, follow her whole life: a childhood singing in a Baptist church choir, years of study and acclaim in Europe, the firsts she claimed on American stages, her friendships with scientists, composers and presidents, and the quiet farm life she built away from the spotlight. Every answer comes with a short explanation, so you learn the story as you play. The quiz suits Black History Month and Women's History Month lessons, music students, and anyone who wants to know the person behind the famous photograph. Start with the easier questions and see how far you get.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which famous physicist took Marian Anderson in after a Princeton hotel refused her a room in 1937?
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein hosted Anderson at his home on many later visits too, a friendship that lasted until 1955, when she stayed with him months before he died.
Q 02What kind of pet was Snoopy, the star of a 1963 album of stories and songs by Marian Anderson?
A cat
A cat, and a black one: the album was called Snoopycat, and its short stories and songs followed the adventures of her beloved pet.
Q 03Which First Lady quit a patriotic society in 1939 after it refused Marian Anderson its concert hall?
Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt resigned by letter, told readers of her newspaper column that staying would imply approval, then skipped the concert so as not to upstage the singer.
Q 04On which Christian holiday in 1939 did Marian Anderson sing from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial?
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday fell on April 9 that year, and the free open-air recital was carried by radio to millions who could not reach the National Mall.
Q 05Which New York company made Marian Anderson the first Black singer on its stage in January 1955?
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera audience gave her a standing ovation before she had sung a note; she never appeared there again, but was named a permanent member of the company.
Q 06What kind of Navy vessel, named for a famous Black scientist, did Marian Anderson christen in 1965?
A nuclear submarine
A nuclear submarine: the Navy named it for the plant scientist George W. Carver, armed it with Polaris ballistic missiles, and had Anderson sponsor its launch in Virginia.
Q 07Which conductor told Marian Anderson in Salzburg that a voice like hers is heard once in a century?
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini gave his verdict in 1935, while European houses were offering her stage roles, all of which she turned down because she had no acting experience.
Q 08Which instrument did young Marian Anderson buy from a pawnshop with nickels earned scrubbing steps?
A violin
A violin, bought for about three dollars after she watched a soloist at a concert; she never had a lesson and taught herself tunes, sometimes all on one string.
Q 09Which voice type was Marian Anderson, regarded by many listeners as the world's greatest of her day?
Contralto
Contralto is the lowest female voice, and hers had unusual reach: in her church choir she sang parts written for bass, tenor, alto and soprano.
Q 10At which 1963 civil rights rally did Marian Anderson return to sing at the Lincoln Memorial?
The March on Washington
The March on Washington had her down to lead the national anthem, but she could not arrive in time, so she sang a spiritual later in the program instead.
Q 11In which city was Marian Anderson born in 1897 and a major concert hall renamed for her in 2024?
Philadelphia
Philadelphia raised her: her church and the Black community collected the money for her singing lessons, and her house there is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Q 12Which lineage society barred Marian Anderson from its auditorium in 1939, then later apologized?
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution enforced a white-performers-only policy at the time, then reversed it: she sang in the same auditorium at a wartime relief benefit.
Q 13Which D.C. venue, once closed to her over race, did Marian Anderson choose to open her farewell tour?
Q 21At which famous residence did Marian Anderson sing for Britain's visiting king and queen in 1939?
The White House
The White House staged a gala evening of American music for the state visit, and her Ave Maria was its climax, despite segregationist criticism of the invitation.
Q 22Which composer wrote A Masked Ball, the opera of Marian Anderson's barrier-breaking 1955 debut?
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi based it on the assassination of King Gustav III of Sweden at a masked ball; Anderson, who had long refused stage roles, played the fortune teller.
Q 23Which Nordic composer served champagne after hearing Marian Anderson, then dedicated a song to her?
Jean Sibelius
Constitution Hall
Constitution Hall was her own choice for the tour's first night, 25 years after its white-artists-only rule had sent her to sing outdoors instead.
Q 14At which New York venue did Marian Anderson give the last recital of her farewell tour in April 1965?
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall, where she had given her first solo recital in 1928, closed the tour on April 18, 1965; in 1977 it also staged a gala concert for her birthday.
Q 15Which US honor, newly revived that year, was awarded to Marian Anderson in 1963?
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom went to her in the first group of honorees after its revival, handed over by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Q 16Which civil rights group, led by Walter White, gave Marian Anderson its achievement medal in 1939?
NAACP
The NAACP award was presented in Richmond, Virginia, by the First Lady, the same year the group's leader helped persuade the government to stage her open-air concert.
Q 17Which music ceremony gave Marian Anderson a Lifetime Achievement honor two years before her death?
The Grammys
The Grammys honored her in 1991, 26 years after her final recital, in the same year as Bob Dylan and John Lennon.
Q 18Marian Anderson and Fred Astaire were in the first class of which annual arts tribute in 1978?
Kennedy Center Honors
The Kennedy Center Honors began with five honorees, among them the choreographer George Balanchine and the composer Richard Rodgers, at a gala hosted by Leonard Bernstein.
Q 19To which world body did President Eisenhower name Marian Anderson a delegate after her tour of Asia?
The United Nations
The United Nations seat formalized her role as a goodwill envoy; a year earlier she had sung the national anthem at President Eisenhower's second inauguration.
Q 20On which redesigned banknote did the US Treasury announce in 2016 that Marian Anderson would appear?
$5 bill
The $5 bill was to carry her on its back in a redesign planned for 2020; a postage stamp in the Black Heritage series had honored her in 2005.
Jean Sibelius told his wife to bring champagne instead of the usual coffee, and in 1939 he dedicated a new arrangement of his song Solitude to Anderson.
Q 24Which spiritual did Marian Anderson sing to audition for teacher Boghetti, moving him to tears?
Deep River
Deep River won her a place with Boghetti, who gave her a year of free lessons and later booked her a recital at New York's Town Hall.
Q 25Which relative persuaded six-year-old Marian Anderson to join the junior choir at her church?
Her aunt
Her aunt Mary, her father's sister, sang duets with her in church and arranged local bookings that paid 25 or 50 cents for a few songs.
Q 26With which patriotic song did Marian Anderson open her 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial?
My Country, 'Tis of Thee
My Country, 'Tis of Thee, also known as America, began a program that ran from classical arias to spirituals and closed with an encore sung through tears.
Q 27What was the profession of Orpheus Fisher, who married Marian Anderson after a teenage proposal?
Architect
Architect was his trade, and he used it at home, designing an acoustic rehearsal studio for his wife on their farm.
Q 28In which state was Marianna Farm, the rural retreat where Marian Anderson lived for almost 50 years?
Connecticut
Connecticut drew her to Danbury, where she turned down celebrity treatment in shops and restaurants and sang at the lighting of the city's Christmas decorations.
Q 29Which composer wrote Lincoln Portrait, a work Marian Anderson often narrated after she retired?
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland himself conducted her in the piece at Saratoga, and at other concerts the baton was held by her nephew, James DePreist.
Q 30Which fur was the full-length coat Marian Anderson wore to sing outdoors on a chilly day in 1939?
Mink
Mink kept her warm on a day when the capital's high was 47 degrees, and she wore it open over an embellished jacket and matching skirt.