The Google Doodle for Friday, June 17, 2022, celebrates the life and career of Amanda Aldridge, described by the company as an inspirational figure who showed “musical prowess at a young age,” garnering “international attention for her fusion of musical styles.”
Check out everything we know about the historical figure below.
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Who was Amanda Aldridge?
Amanda Aldridge was a Black British composer, teacher and opera singer. She released love music, dozens of instrumental tracks, sambas and more than 30 songs under the pseudonym Montague Ring.
The pioneering musical artist was the daughter of African-American actor and playwright Ira Frederick Aldridge—regarded as one of the first Black American tragedians—and his Swedish wife, Amanda von Brandt.
As a vocalist, she pursued a career at London’s Royal Conservatory of Music, where she studied under eminent Swedish soprano Jenny Lind.
Aldridge’s singing career was cut short by a throat injury, but she found other outlets to continue using her talents, developing a prolific career as a vocal teacher, piano player and composer.
Per Google, Aldridge focused on exploring her mixed ethnic heritage through the lens of music. This led to her fusing different rhythmic influences and genres together with poetry from Black American authors to create romantic Parlour music, a popular genre performed in the living rooms of middle-class homes in the 1900s.
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Her most famous piece was “Three African Dances,” a piano composition inspired by West African drumming. In addition to composing, she taught civil rights activist Paul Robeson and one of America’s first great opera singers, Marian Anderson.
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When was Amanda Aldridge born?
Amanda Aldridge was born on March 10, 1866, in Upper Norwood, London. She died on March 9, 1956, a day before her 90th birthday.
Why is Google Doodle honoring Amanda Aldridge on June 17?
On this day in 1911, Aldridge performed a piano recital at Queens Small Hall, London’s pre-war concert venue and the original home of the BBC Symphony and London Philharmonic Orchestras.
What are some of Amanda Aldridge’s songs?
Some of Aldridge’s famous works of the early 1900s include “An Assyrian Love Song,” “Azalea,” “Blue Days of June,” and “The Bride.”
What does the Amanda Aldridge Google Doodle look like?
The featured vintage-style logo depicts a pairing of Aldridge with a doodle of musical treble clefs on both sides.
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