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Archive: September 2012 (9 Posts)

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A Composer’s Eclectic Personality Reaches out to the World: Nico Muhly’s Library of Congress Commission, “Compare Notes”

Posted by: Cait Miller

The following is a guest post from Nicholas A. Brown, Music Specialist in the Music Division’s Concert Office. American composer Nico Muhly’s (b. 1981) latest work Compare Notes receives its world premiere in the Library’s historic Coolidge Auditorium on Friday, October 12 at 8:00pm.  Written for violinist Daniel Hope and pianist Jeffrey Kahane, this intriguing …

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Samuel Barber: Serendipitous Discoveries

Posted by: Cait Miller

Next Tuesday, October 2, 2012, Dr. Barbara Heyman will present a lecture in Coolidge Auditorium entitled “Samuel Barber: Serendipitous Discoveries.” This is another in a series of lectures co-sponsored by the Library of Congress and the American Musicological Society that provides an opportunity for scholars, students and enthusiasts to hear about the kinds of research …

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New Dance Collections in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia

Posted by: Pat Padua

The Music Division is proud to offer two new web presentations in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia.  The collection of notable dancer, choreographer and teacher Bronislava Nijinska (1891-1972) contains a diverse variety of materials documenting dance and the arts in the twentieth century. Available here are over 200 collection items, including manuscripts, books, diaries, choreographic notebooks, …

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Sheet Music of the Week: Feline Edition

Posted by: Pat Padua

The following is a guest post by frequent In the Muse contributor, Senior Cataloger Sharon McKinley. I hear this question ALL the time: does the Library of Congress have any cute cat videos? Well of COURSE the Library has cute cat videos. They’re just not in the Music Division (The Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Record …

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The Music Division has your Bacon Number

Posted by: Pat Padua

Google’s new search tool had would-be researchers wracking their brains yesterday. Based on the “Six degrees of Kevin Bacon” game, which In the Muse wrote about in July,  if you enter the words “Bacon number” and an actor’s name in the Google search box, you get the number of degrees removed that person is from …

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Paul Williams: Copyright and the American Songwriter

Posted by: Pat Padua

It wasn’t your typical mid-day lecture on Capitol Hill. This week the Copyright Office sponsored a special presentation in the Coolidge Auditorium, “Copyright and the American Songwriter.”  Copyright regulations have helped many songwriters make a living by their craft, and one songwriter in particular graced the Coolidge stage to humbly represent his fellow songwriters: ASCAP …

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Concerts From the Library of Congress 2012-2013 Season Preview Podcast, “American Voices”

Posted by: Pat Padua

Join Anne McLean, Loras Schissel and Nicholas Brown of the Music Division as they discuss some of the highlights from the 2012-2013 concert season. They are joined by Chloe Veltman, a junior fellow at the Library of Congress and host of VoiceBox, a weekly public radio and podcast series. Audio used by permission of: COPLAND …

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John Cageathon!

Posted by: Pat Padua

Henning Lohner’s riotous film, Musicircus is a three-and-a-half-hour documentary of the “Musicircus” homage to John Cage, presented at New York’s Symphony Space shortly after his death in 1992. Preceding and following this film, screened for the first time in the United States, is Elliot Caplan’s haunting “Beach Birds for Camera,” an adaptation of a dance …

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Hal David’s Words Live On

Posted by: Cait Miller

As many of our readers know, this past weekend was darkened by the death of legendary lyricist Hal David (1921-2012). David’s collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach won countless awards, nominations, and accolades as he touched millions with his simple, honest, catchy, and moving lyrics. This past spring the Library of Congress was privileged to honor …