Stand Up Straight and Sing!

A Memoir

Jessye Norman

• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9780544003385
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music Biographies

In this uplifting memoir, the acclaimed singer reflects "on life, the arts, and spirituality... Inspiring" ( Booklist ). Jessye Norman is one of the world's most admired and beloved singers—and her life story is as moving and dramatic as the great operatic roles she has performed on stage. Born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, she studied the piano and sang the songs of her childhood, never dreaming that this passion for music might lead to her life's profession. Here she presents "a rich portrait of a childhood firmly grounded by family, church and community, " and recalls in rich detail the strong women who were her role models, from her ancestors to family friends, relatives, and teachers ( The Wall Street Journal ). She also discusses her relationship with the pioneering African American singer Marian Anderson—revealing the lifelong support she provided through her example of dignity and grace at all times. Norman also describes coming face-to-face with racism, both as a child living in the segregated South and as an adult out and about in the world. Filled with inspiration and wisdom, Stand Up Straight and Sing! is not just for lovers of music, but for everyone.

Index

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

Aaron, Hank, 137

acting

concert and opera performances, 255–256

desire to perform Racine’s Phèdre, 201

when singing, physical limits, 194–195

and singing effectively, 185

adults

sense of responsibility toward, 64, 67–68

supportive, importance of, 9–10, 26, 118

Aeneid (Virgil), character of Dido in, 184

African American community, Augusta, GA

barbershops, 62

high expectations for children, 38–40, 67, 115–117

model of service to others, 66–67, 118

music as a constant in, 2–6, 11–12, 69, 78

nurturing of artistic skills, 9–10, 63–64

schools and teachers, 40, 114

segregation, discrimination experienced by, 89, 95–100

as source of spiritual strength, 61–62

value of, for a child, xvi, 26, 61–69, 97–98, 100, 102

See also church; parents; spirituality

African American heritage

Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy, 76–77, 191–192, 263–264

musical gifts associated with, 2, 137, 264

pride in, 86–88, 98–99, 263

African American Music: An Introduction (Burnim and Maultsby), 263–264

after-church musical performances, 11–12

afterlife, beliefs about, 58–59, 203–204

See also spirituality

agility, vocal, 52, 156

Aida (Verdi), 172, 204

Aix-en-Provence, France, performance of Hippolyte et Aricie (Rameau), 172, 201–202

Alaïa, Azzedine, 231–232

Alceste (Gluck), 29

“Allmächt’ge Jungfrau” (“O Holiest of Virgins”), Tannhäuser (Wagner), 51–52, 158

“The Almighty” (“Die Allmacht”) (Schubert), 93–94

“Alto Rhapsody” (Brahms), 136

“Amazing Grace” (Newton)

in Great Day in the Morning, 74–75

lining of a church hymn by the deacons, 69

in the Oh, Freedom medley, 244

origins of melody, 75

singing for President Carter, 217

singing for the Dalai Lama, 91

singing for Sidney Poitier, 246

“America, the Beautiful,” 114, 244

American Boychoir, Princeton, NJ, 81–83

American Symphony Orchestra, debut at Carnegie Hall with, 93

Amerika Häuser concerts, 156–157

ancestors, 2–3, 98–99, 274–275

See also African American heritage and specific Norman relatives

Anderson...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Introduction
• Prelude
• In the Beginning
• A Mother’s Joy
• A Father’s Pride
• Church, Spirituals, and Spirit
• Racism as It Lives and Breathes
• Interlude: Marian Anderson
• Growing Up in Germany
• Photos
• The Singing Craft as Art Form
• The Song, the Craft, the Spirit, and the Joy!
• Woman, Life, Singer
• And the Journey Continues
• Postlude
• Coda
• Acknowledgments
• Index
• About the Author