Top of page

Category: Holidays

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

Musical Leftovers

Posted by: Paul Sommerfeld

Ever since I was little, one of the joys of Thanksgiving has been the leftovers in the days that follow. Who doesn’t like a Cajun turkey sandwich with some stuffing and mashed potatoes on the side? Some leftovers even get better with age, as the flavors become richer. Over this past Thanksgiving, I started thinking …

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

Sheet Music Spotlight: Armistice Day, November 11, 1918

Posted by: Pat Padua

The following post is by retired music cataloger Sharon McKinley. I’ve enjoyed perusing the Library’s World War I sheet music over the past few years as we’ve commemorated the centennial of The Great War. We are now coming to the end of the fighting. Although the Treaty of Paris wasn’t signed until June 28,1919, an …

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

The Music Division Wishes You a Happy New Year!

Posted by: Pat Padua

The following is a guest post by retired cataloger Sharon McKinley Looking for an appropriate New Year’s greeting, I found this song featuring a distinguished-looking gentleman with great facial hair on the cover. The title seems pretty tame, but the subtitle, Dedicated to my customers… is pure click-bait- -19th century style. Pleasant and easy to sing, it’s …

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

Thanksgiving Music

Posted by: Cait Miller

Thanksgiving is upon us, and across the country our readers are making plans and preparations for Turkey Day. What kind of Thanksgiving-related music can we find in the Music Division’s stacks? Out of curiosity, I visited our “subject files” in the office to see what sort of information our reference librarians collected back before the …

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

Veterans Day Playlist

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

This week our nation comes together to honor the brave men and women who have made many sacrifices while serving in uniform. As you commemorate their contributions to protecting our freedoms, we invite you to listen to some patriotic music from our collections. “In the Muse” Veterans Day Playlist Eternal Father, Strong to Save [“The …

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

My Irish Song of Songs

Posted by: Cait Miller

The following is a guest post from Gershwin Archivist Janet McKinney. Janet presented a Curator Talk entitled “My Irish Song of Songs: Irish-American Identity in Popular Song and Musical Theater” on Tuesday, March 15, 2016 that was recorded for webcast and will be made available on the Library of Congress website in the coming months. …

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

Pride Month at the Nation’s Library

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

June traditionally marks LGBT Pride Month across the federal government and in many major American cities. In addition to enjoying the many events, parties, parades and street festivals, there are opportunities for you to commemorate Pride Month at the nation’s library. LGBT figures and allies in history, government, literature, law, and the arts, are represented …