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An ‘Appalachian Spring’ Collaboration

April 22, 2013 by Cait Miller

The following is a guest post from Head of Reader Services Daniel Boomhower.

In the fall of 2012 Dr. Chris Ford, Director of the Baltimore School for the Arts, contacted the Music Division to see if his faculty and students could work with us to develop a research component in conjunction with their production of Martha Graham’s Appalachian Spring. The possibility of working with high school students to create an opportunity for them to engage in a sophisticated way with primary sources intrigued us. We routinely work with graduate students in the performing arts to emphasize the idea that research skills are essential tools for dynamic artists; high school students, however, do not typically visit the Music Division with such well-thought out intentions, scholarly interest, and deep passion. The following video, produced by students at the Baltimore School for the Arts, reveals what these students took away from their time working with the collections of the Music Division. We are impressed and inspired.

Stile Antics at the Library: Not your “Liber Usualis”

April 17, 2013 by David Plylar

I was discussing the upcoming appearance of the British choral group Stile Antico with my colleague Susan Clermont, a reference specialist at the Library of Congress, and she related a story about a motet anthology held at the Library of Congress so tinged with intrigue and the lust for printing power that it prompted retelling …

The Legacy of Civil War Spirituals

March 25, 2013 by Nicholas A. Brown

One of the themes resulting from the multitude of Civil War Sesquicentennial commemorations around the country is the notion that the role of African American culture during that great conflict must receive more attention. Both scholarly forums and the general public’s continued dialogue about the war’s enduring impact on American society can provide opportunities to …

The Music Division went to Eleven in 2012

January 9, 2013 by Pat Padua

With the help of Elizabeth Fulford Miller, who provided web metrics, In the Muse looks back at the past year to see our most popular blog posts. 11. 1750: Berlin on the Potomac. A look at Berlin chamber music under Frederick the Great, the subject of a program in our Spring 2012 lecture series. 10. Our …

A Miró On Which To Dwell

December 18, 2012 by David Plylar

Perhaps the greatest problem with musical warhorses is that in winning the battle for performance time they have triumphed over other works that could have been heard “in-steed.” There are certain works, however, that I do not begrudge their trot to the top; among these is Schubert’s String Quartet in G major, D. 887, the …

Sheet Music of the Week: Brave McClellan is Our Leader Now

August 19, 2011 by Cait Miller

The following is a guest post from Head of Acquisitions & Processing Denise Gallo. After Southern troops defeated his army at the Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, Abraham Lincoln realized that he would need someone dynamic to take charge, especially in efforts to protect Washington, D.C. and its surroundings. At 75, the …

Reflections on the Jonathan Larson Collection

May 4, 2011 by Cait Miller

The following is a guest post from Mark Eden Horowitz, Senior Music Specialist, and curator for the Larson Collection. On Monday, May 9th at noon in the Whittall Pavilion, I will be discussing the Larson Collection and showing some of the rare and surprising treasures it holds. The special collections of the Music Division of …

Pic of the Week: An Evening with David Amram

April 28, 2011 by Larry Appelbaum

I first met composer and multi-instrumentalist David Amram 25 years ago when we did a late night radio interview at WPFW-FM. I knew about his music, of course, his film scores (The Manchurian Candidate, Splendor In The Grass, Pull My Daisy) and collaborations with leading jazz, classical, folk and world music artists. But that free-wheeling …

Distinctly America! George Crumb at the Library of Congress

April 22, 2011 by Cait Miller

The following is a guest post from Senior Producer in the Concert Office Anne McLean. A new music mini-series, Distinctly America!, brings a fascinating sampling of American composers–established and emerging–to the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium this spring (for a complete lineup of events, visit the Concerts from the Library of Congress website). George Crumb, Sebastian Currier …

National Recording Registry – What Would You Add?

April 7, 2011 by Cait Miller

Yesterday, Librarian of Congress Dr. James Billington added 25 new sound recordings to the Library’s National Recording Registry. Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian, with advice from the Library’s National Recording Preservation Board, is tasked with selecting 25 recordings every year that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” …