Music Festival Program: Fourth Annual Convention of the National Association of Negro Musicians

Columbus, OH: The National Association of Negro Musicians, 1922. Near Fine. Columbus, OH: The National Association of Negro Musicians, 1922. First Edition. Bifolium [22.5cm]; black ink on beige paper stock. Vertical spine fold slightly off-center, otherwise fine.

An unrecorded program from the fourth annual convention of the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) held in Columbus, Ohio July 25-27, 1922, notably ending with performances by a 25-year-old Marian Anderson in an early and significant national appearance.

An article by Carl Diton (who accompanied Anderson on piano for these Columbus performances) in The Crisis gives a contemporary dispatch on this 1922 Columbus convention:

"At present, the most brilliant achievement of the National Association of Negro Musicians is its conventions. This fact should not be under-estimated, for in point of constructive thought, to say nothing of the vast crowds of people attendant upon its evening concert sessions which the standing room of the largest procurable auditoriums is at a premium, these conventions go far towards rivaling those of older and more experienced national associations. Every year brings forth an amazing wealth of the noblest kind of talent which is, even to the older and more seasoned members, vividly startling."

Diton continues with praise of the Columbus convention, "It is, however, the consensus of opinion that the Columbus, Ohio convention of 1922, characterized by the absolute satisfaction of the delegates as to their personal comfort, the total absence of anything that savoured of graft, and the absolute punctuality of the sessions, was the masterpiece of them all." (pp. 21-22)

The program concluded with a performance of three selections by Marian Anderson followed by the presentation of a scholarship to her. Soon after Anderson continued her study with voice teacher Giuseppe Boghetti and had her first studio recordings with the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1923, launching one of the most important careers in Black American music. Not separately cataloged in OCLC, and early NANM material quite uncommon in retail.

Carl Diton, "The National Association of Negro Musicians." The Crisis: Volume 26, Issue 1, May 1923, pp. 21-22.