Friday, November 22, 2013 marks the hundredth birthday of British composer Benjamin Britten, OM, CH (1913-1976), who is known for revolutionizing opera and British art music in the twentieth century. Britten holds a special place in the heart of the Music Division at the Library of Congress, as we house the manuscripts of two of …
There comes a time in every anniversary year when the candles must be blown out—this year it is a necessity, as 200 candles each for Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi constitute a fire hazard, and the Library does not want to host its own “immolation” scene. But Wotan to your seats—Concerts from the Library of …
Concerts from the Library of Congress is gearing up for a month full of events that pay homage to the great German opera composer, Richard Wagner (1813-1883), who would have turned 200 years-young in 2013. Since we cannot present a full production of Der Ring des Nibelungen in the Coolidge Auditorium, we thought we would …
Composer Amy Beach (1867-1944) was the first American woman to achieve widespread recognition as a composer of large-scale works with orchestra. Read about correspondence between Oscar Sonneck, first Chief of the Music Division, and Beach regarding her Piano Concerto and the idea of sending manuscripts to the Library of Congress for preservation.
Many of us who are lucky enough to work here at the Library of Congress get to experience giddiness frequently. We are surrounded by amazing treasures of all types and forms day-in and day-out. Every day leads to a new discovery in the collections. One of the topics that makes us particularly …
Check out our newly released 2013-2014 Concerts from the Library of Congress Season Brochure. Join us for an exciting season of stellar concerts—classical pop, country, jazz, Americana, rock, bluegrass and musical theater. Plus, you will have the opportunity to be a part of unique experiences only available at the world’s largest music library. The season …
Approximately 350 years before young pop artist Justin Bieber joined planet earth, the original Biber (pronounced Beeber, as “Bieber”) was born in Wartenberg, Bohemia. Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (baptized August 12, 1644, died May 3, 1704) was the rage in Austria and Central Europe for much of the seventeenth century (top that Justin!). His …
This past Sunday, July 7, 2013 marked the 153rd birthday of composer and conductor Gustav Mahler (1860-1911). The weekend was filled with performances of Mahler’s greatest works around the world, including his third symphony at Tanglewood with the Boston Symphony (Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, conductor) and fourth symphony at the Castleton Festival (Lorin Maazel, conductor) …
In recent months we have lost several icons from different aspects of twentieth century and contemporary culture, such as legendary film critic Roger Ebert (d. April 4, 2013) and British conductor Sir Colin Davis (d. April 14, 2013). In the month of May the classical music world grieved two beloved composers, Henri Dutilleux (January 22, …
