Top of page
Posted by: Cait Miller
I could hardly let the would-be birthday of eminent conductor Serge Koussevitzky go by without a blog post! Born in 1874, Koussevitzky began his musical life as a performer. He studied numerous instruments, though excelled at the double bass – he even composed a concerto for double bass, which he premiered in 1905. In the …
Posted in: Birthdays, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Thanks to Sharon McKinley, Senior Cataloging Specialist, for conducting these interviews with Carolyn Turner and Rachel Weiss, two of this summer’s crop of interns. What made you want to do a volunteer internship at the Library of Congress? Carolyn: My older sister Jessica was a Junior Fellow when I was twelve years old and she …
Posted in: Interviews, Musical Instruments, Special Collections, Staff Interviews
Posted by: Cait Miller
The following is a guest post from Head of Acquisitions & Processing Denise Gallo. Running past the Nation’s Capitol into Virginia, the Potomac River is fed by myriad tributaries, one of which is the Occoquan. Flowing into that river just south of Manassas, Virginia, is a creek called Bull Run. It was there on 21 …
Posted in: Guest bloggers, Sheet Music of the Week
Posted by: Cait Miller
Check out a new program that investigates the architecture of and treasures inside the Library of Congress that premieres tonight on C-SPAN at 8:00 p.m. ET (it re-broadcasts at 11:00 p.m.). You can even view a clip of the documentary as well as an extra interview with Librarian of Congress Dr. James Billington here! If …
Posted in: Pic of the Week
Posted by: Cait Miller
The following is a guest post from Reader Services Technician Melanie Guitreaux. Today would mark the 100th birthday of Ginger Rogers, a performer who emanated energy and romance and, together with her alluring partner Fred Astaire, struck the film world by storm. The world famous dancing duo dazzled audiences with their spectacular performances …
Posted in: Birthdays, Pic of the Week, Sheet Music, Women in Dance
Posted by: Pat Padua
The following is a guest post from Senior Cataloging Specialist Sharon McKinley. Ah, Bastille Day! It’s a holiday that has such a nice, dramatic ring to it. It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. And for some reason, über-French though it may …
Posted in: Guest bloggers, Holidays, Sheet Music, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
The following is a guest post by Senior Cataloging Specialist Sharon McKinley. Elias Howe (July 9, 1819-Oct. 3, 1867) was the recipient, in 1846, of the first American patent for a sewing machine using a lockstitch design. The new machines revolutionized the garment industry, giving rise to sweatshops, and ultimately to the International Ladies Garment Workers …
Posted in: Guest bloggers, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections, Theater
Posted by: Pat Padua
In the Muse wonders how it got to be July already. To mark the latest turn of the calendar page, we present the most viewed blog posts from June 2011. Thanks to Elizabeth Fulford Miller for providing web metrics. And now, from our home office atop Independence Avenue, the top eleven blog posts for June …
Posted in: Pic of the Week, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
It’s July 7 – Gustav Mahler’s 151st birthday! Instead of highlighting manuscripts or correspondence by Mahler, I’d like instead to point out another composer/conductor’s commentary on Mahler, as provided in one of Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concert scripts, Who is Gustav Mahler? The script, along with all other scripts for the Young People’s Concert broadcasts, …
Posted in: Birthdays, Composers, Special Collections