As seen from the Earth, the planet Venus will move across the face of the sun on June 5, 2012. This week’s featured sheet music celebrates this rare orbit with John Philip Sousa’s commemorative march, part of a Transit of Venus presentation created in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia with the help of NASA scientist Sten …
Archive for the ‘Sheet Music’ Category (101 posts)
Posted in: Collections, Lectures, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week
Fans of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows were saddened by the death last week of star Jonathan Frid, who played the vampire Barnabas Collins. This week’s featured sheet music does not speak of vampires or other shadowy figures. But its lyrical plea to “meet me in the shadows” is at once romantic and sinister, and …
Posted in: Collections, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week
The following is a guest post by Sharon McKinley, Senior Music Cataloger. The blossoms themselves have been gone for weeks already; it was one of the earliest seasons ever. But the Centennial of the National Cherry Blossom Festival is still going strong, all the way through April 27, and we thought we’d help keep the …
Posted in: Collections, Guest bloggers, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week
In the Muse presumes that the stereotyped Germans pictured in this illustration to Paul Rubens’ composition, “The German cake walk” are simply performing the titular dance. But the action in this scene is potentially ambiguous. Is the mustachioed man running away from an amorous Fraulein, or simply leading her in an impromptu march? Why does …
Posted in: Collections, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week
In the days before Skype and IMs, human communication over great distances was transmitted in a charmingly antiquated manner. In this week’s featured Sheet Music, the singer reassures his far away beloved that “I think I’ve found a way/We can spoon each day.” “Shut your eyes and make believe” was transmitted from the pens of …
Posted in: Collections, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week
Next Tuesday the annual DC Elephant Walk comes back to Capitol Hill, and with it comes the circus! Last year In the Muse rose to the occasion with “The Baby Elephant March.” This week we bring you Albert Gumble and Jack Yellen’s “Circus Day in Dixie,” a song once performed by vaudeville star Blossom Seely. …
Posted in: Collections, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week
In Washington, meteorological spring came in like a lamb. In the Muse would like to take this fair-weather opportunity to revisit last week’s bicycle theme with M. Florence’s “Bloomer March,” which if the illustration is to be believed, conveys the fin de siècle pleasures of riding a bicycle while dressed in bloomers. Florence dedicates the …
Posted in: Collections, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week
The annual World Beard and Mustache Championship is several months away. In the Muse, while personally lacking in competition-level hirsuteness, could not wait that long to share this specimen with its readership. The Music Division’s Civil War Sheet Music Collection contains a number of pieces composed or arranged by C. L. Peticolas, including the “Appomatox …
Posted in: Collections, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week
We live in an era of internet memes that instantly respond to current events. The music world has had its share of them, and MTV recently published a list of 2011′s Five Best Music Memes. The music video pioneers join the legions who have dismissed one of the year’s most infamous musical newsmakers, Rebecca Black, but …
Posted in: Collections, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week
This week the Library of Congress welcomes another endeavor into the blogosphere as our colleagues in the Poetry and Literature Center launch their blog, From the Catbird Seat. We hope to collaborate with them on future posts, but in the meantime, In the Muse would like to direct our readers to some of what we’ve written …
Posted in: Collections, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week
