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From 1885 to 1891, Williams toured the United States with her husband, who took the stage name "Signor
Velosko (the Hawaiian tenor)". They toured Europe a second time and performed at the 1893
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Marie "Selika" Williams was the first black opera singer to perform at the White House. She sang for
President and Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes on November 13, 1878.
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Gable-Wilson, Sonya R. “Let freedom sing! Four
African-American concert singers in nineteenth-century America.” PhD diss. University of Florida. 2005.
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After her husband died in 1911, Williams gave private lessons and taught at the Martin-Smith Music School in New York City. She died on May 19, 1937.
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with
Antonio Farini, who taught the Italian method. There she met a fellow student, operatic baritone Sampson Williams, whom she would later marry.
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In 1878, Williams became the first black artist to perform in the White House. On
November 13, she sang for President
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117:. Due to her rendition of E. W. Mulder's "Polka Staccato", she was often called the "Queen of Staccato".
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in 1879. From 1882 to 1885, she performed across Europe with her husband, giving a concert in
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and was introduced by
Marshall Fred Douglass. She also performed at Philadelphia's
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in the 1870s and studied with
Signora G. Bianchi. She then studied in
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61:, where a wealthy family funded voice lessons for her. She moved to
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Williams probably took her stage name from the character SĂ©lika in
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Lewis, Ellistine P. (1994). "Selika, Marie Smith (c. 1849–1937)".
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188:. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 1022–1023.
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soprano. She was the first black artist to perform in the
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278:. Chicago: University of Illinois Press. p. 119.
186:Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia
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290:The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music
350:19th-century African-American women singers
209:President Bush Celebrates Black Music Month
360:19th-century American women opera singers
292:, Harvard University Press, p. 824.
33:(c. 1849 – May 19, 1937) was an American
312:"Williams, Marie Selika (c. 1849–1937)"
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310:McNally, Deborah (26 September 2007).
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395:Classical musicians from Mississippi
365:African-American women opera singers
132:. Marie joined fellow black singers
375:Musicians from Natchez, Mississippi
355:19th-century American women singers
249:"Madame Selika at the White House"
225:White House Historical Association
221:"America's Musical Life Escalates"
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144:in New York on October 12, 1896.
23:Madame Selika as photographed by
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390:Classical musicians from Ohio
288:Randel, Don Michael (1996).
122:World's Columbian Exposition
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370:American operatic sopranos
88:in 1878 and at New York's
380:Singers from Mississippi
276:Music at the White House
385:Singers from Cincinnati
274:Kirk, Elise K. (1986).
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140:for a performance at
31:Marie Selika Williams
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16:American opera singer
151:Notes and references
55:Natchez, Mississippi
255:. November 14, 1878
253:National Republican
124:before settling in
74:Rutherford B. Hayes
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138:Sissieretta Jones
109:Giacomo Meyerbeer
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314:. The Black Past
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78:Lucy Webb Hayes
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63:San Francisco
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340:1840s births
316:. Retrieved
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257:. Retrieved
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228:. Retrieved
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134:Flora Batson
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345:1937 deaths
318:December 1,
259:January 31,
230:17 November
114:L'Africaine
51:Marie Smith
39:White House
334:Categories
82:Green Room
59:Cincinnati
35:coloratura
126:Cleveland
111:'s opera
104:in 1883.
45:Biography
80:in the
67:Chicago
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100:, for
98:London
320:2013
294:ISBN
261:2019
232:2020
190:ISBN
136:and
130:Ohio
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170:^
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