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 text excerpted from a Library of Congress press release. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), one of the world’s leading performing-rights organizations, through the past 100 years has been protecting the use of its members’ musical works, monitoring broadcast, online and live usage and ensuring that music creators are fairly …
The following is a guest post from retired cataloger Sharon McKinley. I’ve always enjoyed living vicariously through the Music Division’s special collections. Staffers who work in the Acquisitions and Processing Section become quite intimate with the collections they process. The rest of us are more likely to happen upon wonderful finds by serendipitous means. The …
Concerts from the Library of Congress is gearing up for a month full of events that pay homage to the great German opera composer, Richard Wagner (1813-1883), who would have turned 200 years-young in 2013. Since we cannot present a full production of Der Ring des Nibelungen in the Coolidge Auditorium, we thought we would …
American song is the theme of several music-related programs taking place at this year’s National Book Festival. As part of the Library-wide Songs of America initiative, the Music Division is presenting dozens of events over two years that look at the integral role of song in American social history. These public programs complement the strengths …
The following is a guest post from Archivist Janet McKinney. Mesdames et Messieurs, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you to the In the Muse blog. And now, we invite you to relax, pull up a computer chair, as the Music Division proudly presents: The Howard Ashman Papers. Howard Ashman …
Our nation is in the midst of commemorating one of the single most significant days in our history, the March on Washington of August 28, 1963. That momentous occasion has shaped generations of Americans, from activists to community leaders and the President of the United States to the singer-songwriter performing original songs in an eclectic …
Many of us who are lucky enough to work here at the Library of Congress get to experience giddiness frequently. We are surrounded by amazing treasures of all types and forms day-in and day-out. Every day leads to a new discovery in the collections. One of the topics that makes us particularly …
Every six months the Performing Arts Reading Room looks forward to the installation of a new exhibit in the reading room’s foyer. Over the years staff and readers have learned about the riches of the Music Division’s collections by exploring exhibits on topics ranging from the Ballets Russes, to Music and Animation, to the Federal …
