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Posted by: Cait Miller
Today we’re excited about the opening of a new exhibit in the Performing Arts Reading Room’s foyer, this one dedicated to the music and legacy of composer Victor Herbert (1859-1924). Herbert was born in Ireland but developed his reputation as a world-class cellist in Germany and later immigrated to the United States in 1886 with …
Posted in: Composers, Exhibitions, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
On Monday we lost a remarkable composer, conductor and entertainer with the passing of Marvin Hamlisch (1944-2012). Hamlisch’s legacy is documented in various aspects of the Library’s collections, from sound recordings, to movie footage, to printed music. We hold, among many other items, the published score to his Academy Award-winning film score for The Sting …
Posted in: Composers, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
2012-13 Highlights Include the Songs of America project, a John Adams residency, Music in the Civil War mini-series, Woody Guthrie and John Cage centennial celebrations, and lots of new music, public programs, lectures and films! AMERICAN VOICES is the theme for the 2012-2013 concert season (view a detailed pdf here), offering a packed lineup of …
Posted in: Concerts and Events
Posted by: Cait Miller
Today we remember Richard Rodgers and his incredible contribution to musical theater and popular song on what would be his 110th birthday! Rodgers (1902-1979) wrote more than 900 songs and composed for 43 musicals and left an immeasurable impact on the American songbook, influencing arts from the worlds of pop, classical, jazz, and beyond. Rodgers’ …
Posted in: Birthdays, Composers, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
Last Sunday, June 17, marked the 237th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, where on a hilltop just outside of Boston over 1000 members of the rebel army put up a valiant fight against two infantry charges by the highly organized (and significantly larger) British forces. Though the Americans were defeated by the third …
Posted in: Sheet Music of the Week
Posted by: Cait Miller
The following is a guest post from Music Cataloger Laura Yust. Scottish composer Thea Musgrave was born in Barnton, Midlothian, near Edinburgh, Scotland on 27 May 1928. Still a busy composer as she celebrates her 84th birthday, Musgrave has written operas, concertos, chamber music, solo vocal and choral music, solo instrumental music, and electro-acoustic music. …
Posted in: Birthdays, Composers, Guest bloggers, Women in Music
Posted by: Cait Miller
The following is a guest post from Senior Music Cataloger Sharon McKinley. You may have read last week’s post about identifying the elusive Telemaque. This little story had a happy ending: music library colleagues at Harvard were able to identify the piece and its composer for me. What joy! Better yet, their library staff was …
Posted in: Guest bloggers
Posted by: Cait Miller
Tonight President Obama will award the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song to the songwriting duo of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and last night the Library of Congress hosted a special invitation-only tribute concert to Bacharach and David in the Library’s historic Coolidge Auditorium. I was lucky enough to get a seat …
Posted in: Composers, Concerts and Events
Posted by: Cait Miller
Within our nearly 600 archival collections in the Music Division lie not only scores, sketches, correspondence and iconography, but countless untold stories. Being able to piece together these stories and uncover a stranger’s personality and contribution to our cultural history is one of the greatest joys I get to experience working here. A few weeks …
Posted in: Special Collections, Theater, Women in Theater