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Posted by: Pat Padua
Last night I watched the host of Animal Planet’s River Monsters spend three hours trying to land a giant freshwater stingray. And I wondered, what might we have in the Music Divisions coffers that conveys such adventure and derring-do? I had to look no further than the Federal Theater Project collection, subject of the exhibit …
Posted in: Holidays, Pic of the Week, Special Collections, Theater
Posted by: Pat Padua
The results of last week’s World Beard and Mustache Championship provides a hirsute backdrop to this week’s featured sheet music. Our esteemed colleagues at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art occasionally blog the praises of historical facial hair, and In the Muse has previously noted the Flickr meme, Great Mustaches of the Library of Congress . …
Posted in: Composers, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
The following is a guest post from Senior Cataloging Specialist Sharon McKinley, with thanks to fellow staff members Irina Kirchik, Leslie Long, and Jurij Dobczansky. The Library of Congress Chorale will present a free concert of Russian choral masterpieces at noon on Thursday, May 26 in the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium. Conductor Chad Becker and …
Posted in: Composers, Concerts and Events, Guest bloggers, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Thanks to Acquisitions Specialist Loras Schissel, whom In the Muse interviewed last month, for contributing to this post. Our Pic of the Week depicts two legendary figures whom you might be surprised to know had an occasional working relationship. The Sousa Band enjoyed its longest single engagement as a headlining feature for Charles Dillingham’s New York …
Posted in: Composers, Musicians, Pic of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
The following is a guest post by Melanie Guitreaux, Reader Services. Louis Moreau Gottschalk (May 8, 1829 – December 18, 1869) was a Creole composer and performer who combined the syncopated music of Louisiana and the Caribbean in a manner that anticipated ragtime and jazz. As a child growing up in New Orleans, Gottschalk experienced many …
Posted in: Guest bloggers, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Along with some great music, I heard a lot of great stories at Tuesday night’s ASCAP concert, from distinguished Congressmen and legendary songwriters alike. But one of the best stories came from a Library co-worker, who was thoroughly excited that I took her picture with Hal David after the concert ended. Galina Teverovsky, a technician …
Posted in: Composers, Concerts and Events, Musicians, Pic of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
It’s been an especially busy week here in the Music Division, and In the Muse will soon bring you exclusive pictures of last night’s all-star ASCAP concert in the Coolidge Auditorium. But it has come to our attention that Google is paying homage to Martha Graham on her birthday with an animation of the iconic dancer. …
Posted in: Dance, Special Collections, Women in Dance
Posted by: Pat Padua
There are two-hundred and twenty sheet music pieces in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia with “mother” in the title. A year ago In the Muse surveyed a handful of these titles, and this week’s featured sheet music is one more way to remember yours on Sunday and every day. It would be remiss of us if we …
Posted in: Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Visitors to Pisa are practically obligated to pose for a photo in which they pretend to hold up her famous leaning tower. This week’s featured picture illustrates that such urges are seized even by musical legends such as Gerry Mulligan, in this photo made by his wife Franca. While a trip to Italy requires planning …
Posted in: Composers, Musicians, Pic of the Week, Special Collections