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Posted by: Libby Smigel
Guest blogger Mary Galvin shares her exploration of the newly available music materials of Peggy Seeger, found in the Seeger Family Collection held by the Library of Congress Music Division.
Posted in: Composers, Guest bloggers, Special Collections, Women in Music
Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres
View "The Music of Oz," including treasures from the creation of "The Wizard of Oz," "The Wiz" and "Wicked," in the Thomas Jefferson Building from December 9 through January 31. Also on display is Harold Arlen's Oscar Award for "Over the Rainbow." The Library of Congress recently acquired rare music and lyric sketches from composer Harold Arlen and lyricist E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, best known for their collaboration on the score of the iconic film “The Wizard of Oz” in 1939. The new acquisition includes 35 manuscript items from Arlen and Harburg’s creative work, including the first handwritten drafts of music and lyrics from some of the most beloved songs from “The Wizard of Oz,” including "Over the Rainbow," made famous by Judy Garland. Learn more about this exciting addition to the collections.
Posted in: American history, Composers, Film Music
Posted by: Cait Miller
Louis Armstrong and Lil Hardin Armstrong brought the sounds of New Orleans and Chicago-style jazz to the forefront of America’s early 20th century soundscape. Learn more about Armstrong materials at the Library of Congress in this resource guide.
Posted in: African American History, Blues, Composers, Jazz, Research Guides
Posted by: Libby Smigel
Ed Zanders, a British composer and musical director based in London, shares some of his discoveries of Sondheim's creative process, found amongst the Stephen Sondheim Papers held by the Library of Congress Music Division. The finding aid to the newly acquired Stephen Sondheim Papers is now available online, and a small set of materials from the collection is on display in the Performing Arts Reading Room.
Posted in: Composers, Guest bloggers, Musical Theater, New Acquisitions, New finding aid, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
Learn about the Library's holdings related to members of the Damrosch family, including Leopold Damrosch (1832–1885), Frank Damrosch, (1859–1937), Clara Damrosch Mannes (1869–1948) and her husband David Mannes (1866–1959), and the conductor/composer Walter Damrosch (1862–1950). Senior Music Reference Specialist Dr. Paul Allen Sommerfeld shares highlights from a newly published research guide on the Damrosch family at the Library of Congress.
Posted in: Composers, Conductors, Research Guides
Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres
As the Concerts from the Library of Congress series approaches the final months of its centennial celebration, staff will share several memorable episodes from the series’ history here on "In the Muse." The first in this series recounts the famous story of how Joseph Szigeti, one of the great violinists of the twentieth century, and composer Béla Bartók came to connect with the Library.
Posted in: Commissions, Composers, Concerts and Events, Music Division history, Musical Instruments, Musicians, Special Collections
Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres
María Peña of the Library's Office of Communications recounts the life and legacy of Latin jazz musician Eddie Palmieri who passed away in early August. Palmieri performed at the Library in October 2024 and participated in a wide-ranging oral history interview with Claudia Morales of the Music Division.
Posted in: Composers, Concerts and Events, In Memoriam, Instrumentalists, Jazz, Latin American History, Musicians, Staff Interviews
Posted by: Claudia Morales
Concerts from the Library of Congress presents a 15-event lineup for the fall 2025 season, wrapping up its successful 18-month centennial celebration with a rich mix of classical, jazz and pop concerts, lectures, conversations and special projects that salute the distinguished history of the series.
Posted in: Commissions, Composers, Concerts and Events, Conductors, Film Music, Instrumentalists, Jazz, Musical Instruments, Musicians, Vocalists
Posted by: Claudia Morales
Learn about 2024-2025 Library of Congress Jazz Scholar Willard Jenkins' time exploring the Music Division's jazz collections. Jenkins, who is the artistic director of the DC Jazz Festival, conducted research in the archives this spring and presented a lecture on "The Enduring Importance of Jazz Archives" on June 18, 2025.
Posted in: African American History, American history, Composers, Copyright Deposits, Jazz, Musicians, Sheet Music, Women in Music