It’s August! Let’s Water Ski!
Posted by: Morgen Stevens-Garmon
Archivist Anita M. Weber explores the summer pastime of water skiing with a pair of songs by William P. Barlow.
Posted in: Composers
Category: Composers
More Than Words: A Virtual Tour of Designs, Dance, and Graphic Notation in the Music Division
Posted by: Morgen Stevens-Garmon
Music Division staff lead a virtual tour through selections of colorful graphic aspects of performing arts documentation.
Posted in: Composers, Dance, Musical Theater, Staff, Women in Dance, Women in Music, Women in Theater
Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern – Oh My!
Posted by: Paul Sommerfeld
This post shares news of and links to the Music Division's recent publications of a finding aid and research guides relevant to the composer Arnold Schoenberg and the Second Viennese School.
Posted in: Composers, Research Guides, Sound recordings, Special Collections
In Memoriam Louis Andriessen
Posted by: Melissa Wertheimer
Dutch composer, pianist, and teacher Louis Andriessen (1939-2021) passed away on July 1, 2021. He is connected to the Music Division through his 1993 Koussevitzky Music Foundation commission.
Posted in: Commissions, Composers, In Memoriam
Frederic Rzewski: “Life is a Riddle”
Posted by: David Plylar
We were saddened to learn of the passing of composer and pianist Frederic Rzewski on June 26, 2021. He was an extraordinary figure in the musical world, perhaps best known for his piano music—his monumental composition The People United Will Never Be Defeated is surely one of the most significant variation sets of the last …
Posted in: Commissions, Composers, Concerts and Events, In Memoriam
Happy Pride Month from the Music Division!
Posted by: Morgen Stevens-Garmon
Emily Baumgart helps us celebrate Pride Month with a few LGBTQ+ highlights from our performing arts collections and the announcment of a forthcoming LGBTQ research guide from the Music Division.
Posted in: African American History, Composers, Guest bloggers, LGBTQ+, Musicians, Research Guides, Staff, Women in Music
Béla Bartók’s Early Works and His Student Etelka Freund
Posted by: Morgen Stevens-Garmon
The following is a guest post from Archives Processing Technician Dr. Rachel McNellis. In his essay, “The Influence of Peasant Music on Modern Music,” published in 1931, Hungarian composer Béla Bartók (1881–1945) describes the beauty of folk music and its significance to classical composers: “The right type of peasant music is most varied and perfect …
Posted in: Composers, Guest bloggers, Musicians, Special Collections, Staff, Women in Music
“A Grand Series of Musical Compositions”: The Curious Case of Nicola Sampieri
Posted by: Paul Sommerfeld
An obscure composer from the late 18th and early 19th century, Nicola Sampieri self-published most of his music with programmatic titles, intricate engravings, and specific instructions for performance that included both sound effects and visual displays.
Posted in: Composers, Film Music, Sheet Music
Joseph Lamb: an Unlikely Ragtime Giant
Posted by: Morgen Stevens-Garmon
Processing Technician Pam Murrell shines light on the surprisingly ordinary life of a man who would be deemed one of the extraordinary classical composers of syncopated rhythm.
Posted in: Composers, Guest bloggers, Musicians, Staff