While our nation continues to mourn the loss of First Lady Rosalynn Carter (1927-2023), here in the Music Division, we are reflecting on her lasting relationships with artists, performers, and creators, both during her time in The White House and the decades that followed. America’s civic leaders cross paths with many of the leading musicians, …
In celebration of composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein’s centennial, the Library of Congress is happy to announce that we have greatly expanded our Bernstein Online Collection, now giving access to 3,741 items and over 42,000 pages of archival material. Through the online collection researchers can find: Music – See sketches for Candide, Chichester Psalms, Kaddish, Mass, On …
It’s National Dog Day, which means it’s time for another post in our Furry Friends of Music blog series! Leonard Bernstein is remembered and celebrated as a renowned conductor, a major composer, and a masterful educator, but there’s another side to the great musician: Bernstein the dog lover. Although there are far more stories that …
Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 29, the Music Division will sponsor a lecture by musicologist Nigel Simeone based on his new book, The Leonard Bernstein Letters. Simeone’s book includes 650 letters spanning Bernstein’s adolescence to the end of his life that provide a rare glimpse into the more private side of the great conductor and composer. Tomorrow’s …
The following blog post was written by Daniel Walshaw, Music Division. Wild, passionate, perspiring, and, above all, human – words not typically associated with a man clad in a tuxedo performing great works of the classical repertoire. However, it is nearly impossible to describe the extroverted music-making of Leonard Bernstein without using at least one of …
Learn about six new collection finding aids that have been published by the Library's Music Division. These finding aids provide bibliographic access to the Irwin Bazelon Papers, Harry Chapin Collection, Ann Murphy Collection on the Rockettes and Radio City Music Hall, Alfred Newman Film Music Manuscripts, Park Avenue Synagogue Commissioning Project Correspondence and Hans Spialek Papers.
Nearly 16,000 pages of material from the Library of Congress Leonard Bernstein Collection have been transcribed and reviewed via our "By the People" crowdsourced transcription campaign. Transcriptions will ultimately be made available in loc.gov, and the Leonard Bernstein Digital Collection will soon be keyword searchable.
The Library of Congress Music Division and Koussevitzky Music Foundation commemorate Serge Koussevitzky's 150th birthday with new commissions, the launch of a digital collection, a collaboration with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and more. Learn about this legendary composer and conductor who is responsible for commissioning and premiering many 20th century masterworks, including music by Leonard Bernstein, Béla Bartók, Benjamin Britten, and more.
