(ENTERTAINMENT THEATER) Paul Robeson Signed program for his

Sale 2562 - Lot 231

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Estimate: $ 500 - $ 750

(ENTERTAINMENT--THEATER.) Paul Robeson. Signed program for his performance at the Hampton Institute. 4 pages, 9 x 6 inches, printed in red and black on one folding sheet; minor wear, light soiling on final page, 2 horizontal folds; inscribed on first page "To Eugene Williams, All best wishes & best of good fortune. Paul Robeson." [Hampton, VA]: Hampton Institute Press, 4 October 1941

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For this performance at an historically Black university, Robeson delivered a diverse program including Russian folk songs, "Negro melodies," a "Chassidic chant," and the patriotic cantata "Ballad for Americans." His selections alternated with pieces performed on the theremin (an eerie-sounding electronic instrument) by its first and only notable virtuoso, Clara Rockmore.

The local Newport News Daily Press (4 October 1941) described this as Robeson's first-ever performance in the South, a bold and surprising claim, as Robeson had been performing internationally for decades by that point.