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Todd Duncan Broke Race Barriers With Music |
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Jerilyn Watson |
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VOICE
ONE:
I'm
Shirley Griffith.
VOICE
TWO:
And I'm
Rich Kleinfeldt with the VOA Special English program,
PEOPLE IN AMERICA. Today we tell the story of Todd Duncan -- a concert
singer and music teacher. He is the man who broke a major color barrier
for black singers of classical music.
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VOICE
ONE:
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It is
nineteen-forty-five. The place is New York City. The New York City
Opera Company just finished performing the Italian
opera "Pagliacci."
Todd
Duncan is on the stage. He had just become the first African American man
to sing with this important American opera company. No one was sure how
he would be received. But the people in the theater offered loud, warm approval
of his performance.
Duncan
did not sing a part written for a black man. Instead, he played a part
traditionally sung by a white man. All the other singers in the New York
City Opera Company production were white.
His
historic performance took place ten years before black singer Marian Anderson
performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
VOICE
TWO:
Todd
Duncan opened doors for other black musicians when he appeared in "Pagliacci." Until that night, black singers of
classical music had almost no chance of performing in major American opera
houses and theaters. Many African American classical singers of today say
they still do not have an equal chance to perform. But Todd Duncan began
a major change in classical musical performance in the United States.
VOICE
ONE:
Todd
Duncan lived a very long life. He was ninety-five years old when he died
in March, nineteen-ninety-eight in Washington, D.C. He taught singing
until the end of his life.
Robert
Todd Duncan was born in nineteen-oh-three in the southern city of Danville,
Kentucky. His mother, Nettie Cooper Duncan, was his first music teacher.
As a
young adult, he continued his music studies in Indianapolis, Indiana. He
attended both a university and a special music college in this middle western city.
VOICE
TWO:
In
nineteen-thirty, he completed more musical education at Columbia University in
New York City. Then he moved to Washington. For fifteen years, he
taught music at Howard University in Washington.
African
Americans had gained worldwide fame for their work in popular music --
especially for creating jazz. But not many black musicians were known for
writing or performing classical music.
Teaching
at Howard gave Duncan the chance to share his knowledge of classical European
music with a mainly black student population. He taught special ways to
present the music. These special ways became known as the Duncan
Technique.
Here
Todd Duncan sings "O Tixo,
Tixo, Help Me" from the opera "Lost in the
Stars" composed by Kurt Weill.
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VOICE ONE:
In
addition to teaching, Duncan sang in several operas with performers who all
were black. But it seemed he always would be known mainly as a concert
artist. Duncan sang at least five-thousand concerts in fifty countries
during twenty-five years as a performer.
However,
his life took a different turn in the middle nineteen-thirties. At that
time, the famous American music writer George Gershwin was looking for someone
to play a leading part in his new work, "Porgy and Bess."
Gershwin
had heard one-hundred baritones attempt the part. He did not want any of
them. Then, the music critic of the New York Times newspaper suggested
Todd Duncan.
VOICE
TWO:
Duncan
almost decided not to try for the part. But he changed his mind. He
sang a piece from an Italian opera for Gershwin. He had sung only a few minutes
when Gershwin offered him the part. But Duncan was not sure that playing
Porgy would be right for him.
Years
later, he admitted that he had no idea that George Gershwin was such a
successful composer. And, he thought Gershwin wrote only popular
music. Duncan almost always had sung classical works, by composers such
as Brahms and Schumann.
Todd
Duncan said he would have to hear "Porgy and Bess." He
did. Then he accepted the part of Porgy. But he said he found it
difficult to perform because Porgy has a bad leg and cannot walk. He
spends most of the opera on his knees.
Duncan
used his special methods to get enough breath to produce beautiful sound.
He was able to do this even in the difficult positions demanded by the part.
Here
Todd Duncan sings "Porgy's Lament" from the Gershwin opera,
"Porgy and Bess."
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VOICE
ONE:
Todd
Duncan sang in the opening production of "Porgy and Bess" in nineteen
thirty-five. Then he appeared again as Porgy in nineteen-thirty-seven and
nineteen-forty-two. He often commented on the fact that he was best known
for a part he played for only three years.
His
fame as Porgy helped him get the part in "Pagliacci"
with the New York City Opera Company. He also sang other parts with the
opera company.
Earlier,
you heard him sing a song from one of the operas he enjoyed most. The
part was that of Stephen Khumalo in "Lost in the
Stars." It was a musical version of the famous novel about Africa,
"Cry, the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton.
American
writer Maxwell Anderson wrote the words for the music by German composer Kurt
Weill. Listen as Todd Duncan sings the title song from "Lost in the
Stars."
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VOICE
TWO:
Todd
Duncan gained fame as an opera singer and concert artist. But his
greatest love in music was teaching. When he stopped teaching at Howard,
he continued giving singing lessons in his Washington home until the week
before his death.
He
taught hundreds of students over the years. Some musicians say they always
can recognize students of Todd Duncan. They say people he taught
demonstrate his special methods of singing.
VOICE
ONE:
Donald Boothman is a singer and singing teacher from the eastern
state of Massachusetts. He began studying with Todd Duncan in the nineteen-fifties.
Boothman was twenty-two years old at the
time. He was a member of the official singing group of the United States
Air Force. He had studied music in college. But he studied with
Duncan to improve his singing.
Boothman continued weekly lessons with Duncan for
thirteen years. After that, he would return to Duncan each time he
accepted a new musical project.
He says
he considered Duncan his teacher for a lifetime. Many other students say
they felt that way, too.
VOICE
TWO
Todd
Duncan was proud of his students. He was proud of his performances of
classical music. And, he was proud of being the first African-American to
break the color barrier in a major opera house.
He
noted in a V-O-A broadcast in Nineteen-Ninety that blacks are singing in opera
houses all over America. "I am happy," he said, "that I
was the first one to open the door -- to let everyone know we could all do
it."
(MUSIC:
"Oh, Lord, I'm on My Way" from "Porgy and Bess")
VOICE
ONE:
This
Special English program was written by Jerilyn Watson
and produced by Lawan Davis. I'm Shirley
Griffith.
VOICE
TWO:
And I'm
Rich Kleinfeldt. Listen again next week for
another PEOPLE IN AMERICA program on the Voice of America.
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