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Posted by: Larry Appelbaum
Watch the world premiere of Maria Schneider's Library-commissioned work "Data Lords," and view interviews as well as a panel discussion with the Grammy Award-winning composer, arranger and bandleader.
Posted in: Birthdays, Composers, Concerts and Events, Interviews, Jazz, Musicians, Women in Music
Posted by: Cait Miller
On Leopold Mozart's 300th birthday, we explore the musical contributions of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's father as well as his presence in the Music Division's collections.
Posted in: Birthdays, Composers, Guest bloggers, Musicians, Special Collections
Posted by: Paul Sommerfeld
To commemorate Steven Stucky's 70th birthday, staff recount a moving experience with the composer during his last visit to the Performing Arts Reading Room.
Posted in: Birthdays, Composers, Musical Theater, Special Collections
Posted by: David Plylar
You can’t beat the next two weeks of Concerts from the Library of Congress programming, during which we will offer eight musical experiences that showcase a breadth of artistry and perspectives. Here’s a quick run-down so you can make your plans: Wednesday, October 23, 2019, 7pm Montpelier Room, Madison Building “Diversity and the Birth of …
Posted in: Birthdays, Commissions, Composers, Concerts and Events, Interviews, Jazz, Musical Theater, Musicians, New Music, Theater, Women in Music, Women in Theater
Posted by: Cait Miller
One year ago, I published a blog post declaring my excitement about a one-year countdown to Clara Schumann’s 200th birthday and highlighted Schumann’s manuscript cadenzas from the Library’s Whittall Foundation Collection, material that is digitized and available online. Now, finally, Clara’s big day has arrived! 200 years ago, in Leipzig, Germany, Marianne Tromlitz gave birth …
Posted in: Birthdays, Composers, Concerts and Events, Musicians, Women in Music
Posted by: Melissa Wertheimer
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.
Posted in: Birthdays, Composers, Sheet Music, Sound recordings, Women in Music
Posted by: Paul Sommerfeld
The mention of late-eighteenth century Vienna frequently conjures thoughts of well-known composers like Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. But since I joined a project reporting pre-1800 imprints and manuscripts to RISM (Répertoire International des Sources Musicales, an open-access database that lets you see which libraries have a certain published score or unique manuscript), I would like …
Posted in: Birthdays, Composers, Newly Cataloged
Posted by: Paul Sommerfeld
Since publishing Leaves of Grass in June 1855, Walt Whitman and his poetry have captured the American imagination. Not until the early twentieth century, however, did composers begin to draw from and set to music Whitman’s work in earnest. Today, 200 years after Whitman’s birth, his settings have inspired over 500 composers to write over …
Posted in: Birthdays, Composers, Exhibitions
Posted by: Melissa Wertheimer
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!
Posted in: Birthdays, Dance, Holidays, Sheet Music, Special Collections