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Posted by: Pat Padua
September 2 marks the birthdays of two very different musician/ composers whose works grace the Music Division’s storied vaults. Classical guitarist Laurindo Almeida was born on this day in 1917. His career ran the gamut from Sao Paulo radio to Hollywood session man, and he worked with a range of artists from Villa-Lobos and Carmen …
Posted by: Pat Padua
As August draws to a close, In the Muse would like to catch up on a number of birthdays you may have missed. August 4, which is the day we celebrated Louis Armstrong’s birthday, was also the birthday of film composer David Raksin, who donated sketches and scores from films like Laura, Forever Amber, and Carrie …
Posted in: Birthdays, Jazz, Musicians, Pic of the Week
Posted by: Pat Padua
The following is a guest post by Senior Music Specialist Ray White. Lucille Ball was born one hundred years ago, on August 6, 1911, in Jamestown, New York. Her career took her from very inauspicious beginnings—she was dismissed from drama school as a teenager by instructors who declared that she had no future as an …
Posted in: Birthdays, Exhibitions, Guest bloggers, Musicians, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
In the Muse can’t believe it’s been a year since the Music Division joined the Library of Congress’s efforts on Flickr Commons. On July 30, 2010, we uploaded the first batch of photos from the William P. Gottlieb Collection to the popular photo sharing site. And it is a happy coincidence that we belatedly celebrate …
Posted in: Birthdays, Musicians, Pic of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
I could hardly let the would-be birthday of eminent conductor Serge Koussevitzky go by without a blog post! Born in 1874, Koussevitzky began his musical life as a performer. He studied numerous instruments, though excelled at the double bass – he even composed a concerto for double bass, which he premiered in 1905. In the …
Posted in: Birthdays, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
The following is a guest post from Reader Services Technician Melanie Guitreaux. Today would mark the 100th birthday of Ginger Rogers, a performer who emanated energy and romance and, together with her alluring partner Fred Astaire, struck the film world by storm. The world famous dancing duo dazzled audiences with their spectacular performances …
Posted in: Birthdays, Pic of the Week, Sheet Music, Women in Dance
Posted by: Cait Miller
It’s July 7 – Gustav Mahler’s 151st birthday! Instead of highlighting manuscripts or correspondence by Mahler, I’d like instead to point out another composer/conductor’s commentary on Mahler, as provided in one of Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concert scripts, Who is Gustav Mahler? The script, along with all other scripts for the Young People’s Concert broadcasts, …
Posted in: Birthdays, Composers, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Dancer/ Choreographer Bob Fosse was born on this day in 1927. Among his accomplishments are classics of both stage and screen. He won eight Tony awards for his choreography in shows like The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, and Sweet Charity. The Broadway revival of Chicago, for which Fosse co-wrote the book, holds the record for …
Posted in: Birthdays, Dance, Film Music, Pic of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Today’s Google Doodle celebrates the birthday of guitar legend Les Paul with an interactive logo whose strings you can play with your cursor. U. S. doodlers can even record and share their performance. Les Paul would have been 96 today. Remember his technical innovation and electric musicianship with photos from the William P. Gottlieb Collection in …
Posted in: Birthdays, Musicians, Pic of the Week, Special Collections