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Archive: 2016 (15 Posts)

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In Memoriam: 2016

Posted by: Pat Padua

With 2016 drawing to a close, anxious music fans may worry that a year that has taken away so many legends may yet give us one more reason to mourn. Starting with the death of Natalie Cole on New Year’s Day, dozens of artists who have provided the soundtracks of our lives died this year. …

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When Smokey Sings, Forget Everything

Posted by: Pat Padua

In a recent interview with Smokey Robinson, recipient of this year‘s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the songwriter told the Music Division about the birth of Motown, which he co-founded with Berry Gordy, Jr. Asked about the crossover appeal of the label, Robinson passed on something that Gordy had said to him: “I’m going to …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Shooting Stars: Bowie and Prince on Film

Posted by: Pat Padua

This year we’ve lost too many beloved figures in the entertainment world.  Among them, the deaths of David Bowie and Prince struck the Music Division particularly hard. These two iconic performers made a lot of great records, and a lot of perhaps less-than-great movies. Many of their films have been screened in area repertory theaters, …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Sheet Music Spotlight: Olympic waltz

Posted by: Pat Padua

The following is a guest post by retired cataloger Sharon McKinley It’s that time again when the world focuses on the glories of the Summer Olympics. Many of us are enthralled by the extensive coverage. Basketball! Cycling! Gymnastics! Track and field! Badminton! No, don’t laugh. That’s the competitive sport I played as a teenager. Alas, …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Sheet Music Spotlight: Jewish Immigrants in Yiddish popular music

Posted by: Pat Padua

The following is a guest post from retired cataloger Sharon McKinley. May is Jewish American Heritage Month. Over three million Jews, mainly from Eastern Europe, flooded into the United States between 1880 and 1920. Like other large immigrant populations, they crowded into cities such as New York, living in often squalid conditions as they tried …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Sheet Music Spotlight: April Showers Edition

Posted by: Pat Padua

The following is a guest post by retired cataloger Sharon McKinley. Perhaps you saw SNOW showers earlier this month, but there’s no doubt that April can be a rainy time of year. Trust a songwriter to take advantage of the old saw, “April showers bring May flowers.” In 1921, Tin Pan Alley greats Louis Silvers …