Top of page
Posted by: Pat Padua
Our colleagues at the Library of Congress blog have noted the trending topic of the end of the world, based on a reading of the Maya calendar that lays out the day of creation as Aug. 11, 3114 B.C., and the end of the world approaching on Dec. 21, 2012. Which is tomorrow. The Music Division …
Posted in: Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: David Plylar
While the Library of Congress is known for housing a treasure trove of materials ripe for the scholarly plucking, any library is only as good as the access it can provide to information. The accessibility of the collections—that less tangible but essential asset—is made possible by the Library’s employees, who possess a remarkable set of …
Posted in: Concerts and Events, Special Collections, Staff
Posted by: Cait Miller
Last week the Music Division learned that American film composer Richard Robbins (1940-2012) had passed away earlier this month of Parkinson’s disease. Robbins, a well-respected composer, made his mark on late 20th-century/early 21st-century film music, having composed for dozens of films and earning two Academy Award nominations in his career. He is survived by his …
Posted in: Composers, In Memoriam, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
The following is a guest post by Nicholas A. Brown, Music Specialist, Concert Office. GRAMMY-nominated British violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved returns to the Library of Congress this December for a fascinating examination of the Music Division’s Niccolò Paganini collection, which includes posters, playbills, letters, manuscripts and memorabilia collected by the legendary violin virtuoso himself. This …
Posted in: Composers, Concerts and Events, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
The following is a guest post from Senior Music Specialist Loras John Schissel, Curator of the Victor Herbert exhibit currently on display in the Performing Arts Reading Room and now available as an online exhibit. Regarded as the most famous American composer of his era, Victor Herbert was born in Dublin, Ireland on February 1, …
Posted in: Composers, Digital Collections, Exhibitions, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
The following is a guest post from Music Specialist David H. Plylar. We were all saddened by the loss on Monday of the great American composer Elliott Carter, who passed away at the age of 103. A colleague of mine mentioned that given Carter’s nonstop productivity, we were all unconsciously assuming that he was eternal. …
Posted in: Composers, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
The Music Division is proud to offer two new web presentations in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia. The collection of notable dancer, choreographer and teacher Bronislava Nijinska (1891-1972) contains a diverse variety of materials documenting dance and the arts in the twentieth century. Available here are over 200 collection items, including manuscripts, books, diaries, choreographic notebooks, …
Posted in: Dance, Digital Collections, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
The following is a guest post by frequent In the Muse contributor, Senior Cataloger Sharon McKinley. I hear this question ALL the time: does the Library of Congress have any cute cat videos? Well of COURSE the Library has cute cat videos. They’re just not in the Music Division (The Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Record …
Posted in: Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Google’s new search tool had would-be researchers wracking their brains yesterday. Based on the “Six degrees of Kevin Bacon” game, which In the Muse wrote about in July, if you enter the words “Bacon number” and an actor’s name in the Google search box, you get the number of degrees removed that person is from …
Posted in: Composers, Musicians, Special Collections