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Posted by: Larry Appelbaum
We were sad to learn earlier this week about the passing of pianist, composer, singer and educator Henry Butler, who lost his struggle with cancer on Monday at the age of 68. I’d seen this blind virtuoso many times over the years but it’s worth remembering two meetings that had the most impact on me …
Posted in: African American History, Composers, Curators, Guest bloggers, In Memoriam, Jazz, Musicians
Posted by: Cait Miller
The following is a guest post from Music Reference Specialist Paul Allen Sommerfeld. The contents of Paganini’s famed ravioli recipe are well known, but few people seem to attempt making it. So to get a sense of what Paganini might have himself eaten after a long day of performing—perhaps providing a sense of home while …
Posted in: Guest bloggers, Musicians, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
The following is a guest post from Stephanie Ruozzo, one of the Music Division’s summer Fellows from Case Western Reserve University. Dance Specialist Libby Smigel introduces her: Meet Stephanie Ruozzo, a doctoral candidate researching Jerome Kern as part of her doctoral studies in musicology. Stephanie is spending her summer as a CWRU Fellow consulting the …
Posted in: Dance, Guest bloggers, Special Collections, Women in Dance
Posted by: Melissa Wertheimer
Greetings, readers! This is my first blog post as a Music Reference Specialist at the Library of Congress. One of the most exciting aspects of joining the staff of the world’s largest music library is to become familiar with the vast scope of resources we hold. After an orientation to the Prints and Photographs Division …
Posted in: Composers, Special Collections, Women in Music
Posted by: David Plylar
The following is a guest post by Anne McLean of the Music Division. Library of Congress photographer Shawn Miller captured this stunning shot of ten Stradivari instruments—and the Quartetto di Cremona— during a special “Strad Shoot” in the glorious Great Hall of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building. The occasion was an exciting prelude …
Posted in: Concerts and Events, Musical Instruments, Musicians, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
The Library of Congress continues to celebrate Leonard Bernstein’s Centennial with events this Friday and Saturday, all free and open to the public: FRIDAY, MAY 18 Bernstein Centennial Concert Coolidge Auditorium, Thomas Jefferson Building 8:00pm RUSH tickets available starting Friday at 6:00pm Michael Barrett, Music Director and pianist Lee Ann Osterkamp, pianist Julia Bullock, soprano …
Posted in: Composers, Concerts and Events, Digital Collections, Exhibitions, Special Collections, Theater
Posted by: Cait Miller
The following is a guest post from Dr. Daniel Callahan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Music at Boston College, who will be presenting the Spring 2018 American Musicological Society/Library of Congress lecture on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 (tomorrow). The event is free and open to the public. Dear Bradley Cooper and Jake Gyllenhaal, …
Posted in: Guest bloggers, LGBTQ+, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
The following is a guest post from retired cataloger Sharon McKinley. May 8 is World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. Founded in 1881, the American Red Cross organization was still rather small when the United States entered World War I. But services multiplied, millions helped collect supplies and money, and many served overseas, particularly …
Posted in: Guest bloggers, Sheet Music of the Week, Women in Music, World War I
Posted by: Cait Miller
It’s International Jazz Day! When our friends from the Prints & Photographs Division let us know that they’d be featuring favorite jazz-related items today on their blog, Picture This, I couldn’t let the day go by without a related post. Of course, the Music Division is home to outstanding jazz collections that document the life …
Posted in: African American History, Composers, Jazz, Musicians, Sheet Music, Sound recordings, Special Collections, Women in Music