Top of page
Posted by: David Plylar
Perhaps the greatest problem with musical warhorses is that in winning the battle for performance time they have triumphed over other works that could have been heard “in-steed.” There are certain works, however, that I do not begrudge their trot to the top; among these is Schubert’s String Quartet in G major, D. 887, the …
Posted in: Composers, Concerts and Events, Musical Instruments
Posted by: Cait Miller
Yesterday came the announcement we all look forward to in the Music Division: the naming of the next Gershwin Prize recipient! Librarian of Congress James H. Billington announced singer-songwriter Carole King as the next recipient of the distinguished Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The Gershwin Prize “celebrates the work of an artist whose career reflects …
Posted in: Composers, Women in Music
Posted by: Pat Padua
The following is a guest post by David H. Plylar, Concert Office. On Thursday, November 29th, the Library of Congress will present the outstanding Baroque ensemble La Risonanza in cooperation with the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington, DC, in its first appearance in the United States. Half of the program …
Posted in: Composers, Concerts and Events
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 following is a guest post by Nicholas A. Brown, Music Specialist, Concert Office. John Philip Sousa (1854-1932), the famed composer and bandmaster, holds a very special place in the history of Washington, D.C., the Library of Congress, and of course, the United States. The John Philip Sousa Collection, which includes music manuscripts, photographs, literary …
Posted in: Composers, Concerts and Events
Posted by: Pat Padua
The following is a guest post by David H. Plylar, Music Specialist, Concert Office. Update: Out of concern for our patrons’ safety and in consideration of the extreme weather in the Washington area, the Library of Congress has rescheduled the concert originally scheduled for Tuesday, October 30, 2012. LUCY: Song & Dance, an Opera without Words will …
Posted in: Composers, Concerts and Events