SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: The 2014-2015 Concerts from the Library of Congress season announcement is now available! Music should bring us together and open our minds to discovery, innovation and reflection—it resists categorization. We find the labels put on music to be boring, restrictive and tiresome… don’t you? In honor of the 150th birthday of our founding …
James Wolf of the Library of Congress has created a fantastic video compilation of some of our audio and visual treasures related to “The Star-Spangled Banner.” View the video below and peruse more recordings, sheet music and memorabilia via the Songs of America portal. Join the #SSB200 conversation on twitter by tagging @librarycongress, or visit …
Throughout 2014 the Library of Congress’ Music Division is celebrating the 200th birthday of our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” On July 3 Concerts from the Library of Congress will present a symposium and concert, “Poets and Patriotism,” in commemoration of the anthem’s anniversary. We will be joined by internationally-renowned baritone Thomas Hampson for a …
The following is a guest post from Concert Office intern Rachael Sanguinetti As a young singer, Samuel Barber’s vocal works are a prominent part of my musical life. Barber’s English songs have been a part of my repertoire from my earliest years of voice lessons around age 15 and have remained with me through my …
Happy Birthday, György Ligeti! The great composer was born this day in 1923, and since his passing in 2006 his music has continued to inspire. The Library of Congress has a special relationship with one of Ligeti’s works in particular: Ramifications for string orchestra or twelve solo strings. Commissioned by the Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation …
Michael Feinstein on Musicals & Songs at the Library of Congress Series 1 – Rodgers & Hammerstein Episode 4 – Cinderella In the fourth episode of a series of videos that explore the Rodgers and Hammerstein collections at the Library of Congress, Michael Feinstein discusses the impact of their show Cinderella on television, as well …
Michael Feinstein on Musicals & Songs at the Library of Congress Series 1 – Rodgers & Hammerstein Episode 3 – “It Might as Well Be Spring” Revised @ 2:25pm EST on May 21, 2014 to include links to previous episodes In the third episode of a series of videos that explore the Rodgers and Hammerstein …
Last week on May 7, Brahms and Tchaikovsky shared a birthday—an annual event since Tchaikovsky waltzed into the world in1840, seven years after Brahms. While the composers may not have cared much for one another, at this great historical remove we can appreciate the music of both men without worrying about offending the other camp—there …
Anne McLean, Senior Concert Producer, contributed to this post. In addition to host and American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers President Paul Williams, last night’s annual ASCAP concert featured, as always, an intriguing variety of composers: Jon Batiste, Alan Bergman, Josh Kear, Randy Newman, Carly Simon, Narada Michael Walden with Shelea Frazier, Jimmy Webb, and …