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A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

John Wesley Work III: Documenting Musical Change

Posted by: Stephanie Hall

Folklorist John Wesley Work III lived in an extraordinary time in the development of African American music. He was in college as the Harlem Renaissance began. African American composers were developing traditional blues into elite compositions and the piano became an instrument for new styles such as jazz and boogie-woogie. Work, like his brother Julian, …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

The American Folklife Center Participates in “The Library of Congress Celebrates the Songs of America”

Posted by: Stephanie Hall

What could the songs sung, composed, and/or danced by Americans from the colonial period to the present teach us about the history of the United States? How could U.S. history help us to better understand American songs? These are questions explored in the new online presentation The Library of Congress Celebrates the Songs of America.  …