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Archive: November 2010 (11 Posts)

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Modern Art and Music

Posted by: Pat Padua

The Library of Congress just hosted the first of a new lecture series organized in conjunction with the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the contemporary art arm of the Smithsonian Institution. Artist Maira Kalman spoke about, And the Pursuit of Happiness, an illustrated book that documents the author’s visit to Washington DC for the inauguration of …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by: Pat Padua

In the Muse wishes you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving. Between mashed potatoes and halftime, the musically inclined among our readership may wish to celebrate the day in song with Geo. W. Morgan’s’ “National Thanksgiving Hymn,” dedicated to then President Rutherford B. Hayes. After dinner, take an invigorating constitutional to work off that second …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

This week on Flickr, and Macca on Film

Posted by: Pat Padua

Today we release another one hundred images from the William P. Gottlieb Collection to Flickr Commons. This week’s selection offers iconic photos of the trumpet legend Louis Armstrong, clarinet player Sidney Bechet, composer Leonard Bernstein, and vocalist June Christy. And, as is often the case, there is something unexpected in the mix. This week’s surprise is a series of …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Music to Tickle a Savage Breast

Posted by: Pat Padua

“Music has charms to soothe a savage breast.” That famous line was uttered by a character in William Congreve’s 1697 play The Mourning Bride. From the dance of the ancient Greeks, to the propulsive bass on the disco floor, to Dancing with the Stars, music goes hand in hand with the body. One of the …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Happy Birthday, Copland!

Posted by: Cait Miller

Aaron Copland, eminent composer of 20th-century American music, was born 110 years ago yesterday, on November 14, 1900. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Aaron studied piano as a child and later studied with American composer and pianist Rubin Goldmark. In 1920, Copland traveled to Paris to study with renowned French composer, conductor and teacher Nadia …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Veterans Day

Posted by: Pat Padua

On this Veterans Day, take time to remember those who served our country with songs from Patriotic Melodies in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia, including “The Army Goes Rolling Along,” “The Marines’ Hymn” (Happy 235th birthday to the United States Marine Corps!), and ”The U.S. Air Force Song” (which you may know as “Off we go into the wild …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Martha, Martha, Martha!

Posted by: Pat Padua

Selections from the Martha Graham Collection is a new web presentation now available in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia. Dancer, choreographer, and company director Martha Graham (1894-1991) is considered one of the pioneering founders of American modern dance.  In a career spanning over seven decades, Graham developed her own innovative technique and produced an impressive legacy …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

This week on Flickr

Posted by: Pat Padua

Every other Friday the Music Division releases a batch of photos from the William P. Gottlieb Collection to Flickr Commons. This week’s release includes portraits of musical legends like Frank Sinatra, Billy Strayhorn, Sarah Vaughan, and Billy Taylor, whose collection resides in the Music Division. You can also view a gathering of Smiths, including violinist Stuff, alto …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

From Romantic to Radiohead: Sybarite5

Posted by: Pat Padua

The Music Division’s renowned concert program has something for the seasoned concert goer and the young music aficionado alike – often on the same evening. Nowhere is this broad spectrum more apparent than with Sybarite5,  who as one critic notes is “not your grandfather’s string quartet.”  This eclectic group of string players juxtapose Classical, Romantic, and …