In commemoration of Veterans Day, Senior Music Specialist Loras John Schissel presents a sketch of an important American arranger, composer, and conductor who broke the color barrier in the U.S. armed forces in 1918. This man was Bandmaster William “Will” Henry Bennet Vodery. Vodery's service in the military and his work as a musician is documented in collections available for researchers in the Performing Arts Reading Room.
The 2023-2024 season of Concerts from the Library of Congress came to a rousing conclusion on June 20 with a performance by New Orleans-based band Cha Wa. As final preparations are made for the 2024-2025 season announcement, the Music Division is pleased to share a multitude of concert and event videos that have been released …
This blog post highlights the work of American composer Ulysses Kay (1917-1995), particularly his “Forever Free: A Lincoln Chronicle” for wind band, commissioned by Broadcast Music Inc. for the Civil War Centennial Commission in 1962.
The following is a guest blog by Music Reference Specialist Morgan Davis. Actress, comedian, author and media personality Whoopi Goldberg visited the Library of Congress on Friday, May 10 to discuss her new autobiography, “Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me.” Prior to her public conversation with Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, …
The following is a guest post by Morgan Davis, Music Reference Specialist. As music lovers finally exhale after the highly anticipated release of Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter,” we are once again reminded of the music mogul’s ability to remind us of cultural histories long overlooked and buried. Like many American pastimes, country music found itself dominated …
Stephanie Akau, the music archivist who processed the Shirley Horn Papers for the Library of Congress Music Division, contributes a brief biography of Horn, illustrated with materials from the collection: scrapbook, jazz performance program, and photographs.
The Library of Congress is proud to offer free digital programming from its collections for the enjoyment of audiences that are not able to attend our live events in Washington, D.C. The Music Division works with colleagues throughout the Library to ensure that past events in the Concerts from the Library of Congress series, educational …
August 2023 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Hip-Hop, said to have begun in 1973 at a little South-Bronx party hosted by DJ Kool Herc. But years before Herc introduced New York to the breakbeat, African-American music and spoken-word traditions had been brewing in the great social unrest of the 60s and 70s to create a …
We are delighted that our Salute to Strayhorn, a festival of events dedicated to the life and work of Billy Strayhorn, will take place in multiple venues at the Library of Congress from June 8-10. These events have been delayed for years due to forces beyond our control, but at last we will be returning …
