Search engine Google paid tribute to Amanda Aldridge, a British opera singer and composer, through a doodle on Friday. 

The doodle features an image of curly-haired Aldridge along with music symbols. On this day 111 years ago, the musician delivered a piano recital performance at London’s Queens Small Hall.

Who was Amanda Aldridge?

Amanda Aldridge, who used the pseudonym Montague Ring, was the daughter of actor-opera singer Ira Aldridge. She was born on March 10, 1866. As she grew up, she attended London’s Royal Conservatory of Music, where she studied under the guidance of Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind. 

While Aldridge had to cut short her music career due to a throat injury, she continued using her skills to teach and compose music, and play instruments like the piano.

According to Google, Aldridge’s soft music was a reflection of her mixed ethnic background and was inspired by the tunes and genres of Black Americans. 

Parlor music, the genre she mastered in, gained popularity and was mostly played in middle-class households and suburbias.

Aldridge, who often composed songs and sambas about love, garnered ” international attention for her fusion of musical styles.”

She made her television debut at the age of 88 for ‘Music for You’, a British show meant to connect the new generation with her classic vintage tunes. 

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On March 9, 1956, Aldridge died in London, just a day before turning 90.

Her most popular compositions include ‘Three African Dances’ which was inspired by the drumming tunes of West Africa. She was also famous for tracks like ‘Azalea’, ‘An Assyrian Love Song’, ‘The Bride’, ‘Little Brown Messenger’ and ‘Blue Days of June’.

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Apart from creating music, Aldridge spent her time teaching the art to civil rights activist Paul Robeson, and Marian Anderson, one of America’s greatest opera singers.