January 15, 2021 is the 216th birthday of Louise Angélique Bertin. She was a French composer, poet, librettist, and painter. She was the only composer to work directly with Victor Hugo, the first French composer to set Goethe’s Faust as an opera, and the first woman of the 19th century to have an opera performed at the Opéra de Paris. The Music Division has wonderful resources about Louise Angélique Bertin.
On October 30, the Music Division musically celebrates the birthday of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge as Founder’s Day. Musicians who befriended Mrs. Coolidge sent her birthday greetings as musical scores, including Darius Milhaud, Paul Hindemith, Leo Sowerby, Sir Eugene Goossens, and more!
Mississippi-born composer William Grant Still (1895-1978) holds a significant place in the history of American music, and May 11, 2020 is his 125th birthday! I hope that this birthday blog post piques your interest about the many research possibilities in the Music Division about William Grant Still.
Did you know that two of the most famous violinists in history - Jascha Heifetz and Fritz Kreisler - are birthday twins? On Feb. 2, 2020, it will be Heifetz's 119th birthday and Kreisler's 145th birthday. You can engage with both of their legacies right here in the Music Division.
May 27, 2019 is the 200th birthday of suffragist, abolitionist, and writer Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910). She was also a vocalist, composer, and lyricist. The Music Division holds many treasures for you to discover Julia Ward Howe's musical side.
On February 12, 2019, our nation observes the 210th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States. Let’s see the variety of ways President Lincoln appears in the Music Division’s collections!
Happy 100th birthday to Henryk Szeryng (22 September 1918 - 3 March 1988), a man of international renown as a violinist, pedagogue, cultural ambassador, and humanitarian. The Music Division holds the Henryk Szeryng collection.
