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Category: Guest bloggers

Excerpt of handwritten orchestra score for "Wuthering Heights" by Alfred Newman (1939).

New Finding Aids at the Music Division of the Library of Congress

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

Learn about six new collection finding aids that have been published by the Library's Music Division. These finding aids provide bibliographic access to the Irwin Bazelon Papers, Harry Chapin Collection, Ann Murphy Collection on the Rockettes and Radio City Music Hall, Alfred Newman Film Music Manuscripts, Park Avenue Synagogue Commissioning Project Correspondence and Hans Spialek Papers.

Man leaning over, adjusting levels on dials on the Buchla 100.

Restoring the Buchla 100

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

In a guest blog, Andrew Northrop of the Slade School of Fine Art at University College London discusses a recent effort to restore the Library's Buchla 100 synthesizer. This early electronic music instrument belonged to composer Morton Subotnick (b.1933), who purchased it in 1966 for his studio on Bleecker Street in New York City. Hear a demo of the synthesizer, learn about its history, and experience the process of bringing a unique instrument back to life.

Whoopi Goldberg’s Visit to the Library

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

The following is a guest blog by Music Reference Specialist Morgan Davis.  Actress, comedian, author and media personality Whoopi Goldberg visited the Library of Congress on Friday, May 10 to discuss her new autobiography, “Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me.” Prior to her public conversation with Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, …

Fritz Kreisler in three piece suit holding up violin in left hand with bow in right hand. Standing in front of a fireplace and chari.

Queen Elizabeth, Liszt and Instrument Additions Arrive for the Fritz Kreisler Collection

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

The following is a guest post by Carol Lynn Ward-Bamford, Curator of Musical Instruments, and Dr. Frederic Kreisler. Over the past few years Dr. Frederic Kreisler, grandson of the cellist Hugo Kreisler (1884-1929) and grand-nephew of the violinist and composer Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962), has generously donated Kreisler family materials and musical instruments to the Fritz …

Multi-colored stained glass windows on the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN

On Linda Martell and Country Music

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

The following is a guest post by Morgan Davis, Music Reference Specialist. As music lovers finally exhale after the highly anticipated release of Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter,” we are once again reminded of the music mogul’s ability to remind us of cultural histories long overlooked and buried. Like many American pastimes, country music found itself dominated …

Three printed music scores inside wood and glass display case.

One Student’s Week of Discovery in the Music Division

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

The following is a guest blog by Charlotte Stephens, MLS Candidate, University of Kentucky, who spent a week supporting the work of the Library’s Music Division as part of her academic study. As a master’s student of library science, the Library of Congress has always loomed large for me. The size and scope of the …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Finding Afro-Kola at the Library of Congress

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

The following is a guest blog by 2016-2017 Library of Congress Jazz Scholar Ingrid Monson. “Finding Afro-Kola at the Library of Congress”  Ingrid Monson, Harvard University 2016-2017 Library of Congress Jazz Scholar For scholars and researchers interested in jazz, a visit to the Music Division of the Library of Congress can be a rewarding improvisation …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Courage and Improvisation: The Max Roach Papers

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

The following is a guest blog by 2016-2017 Library of Congress Jazz Scholar Ingrid Monson. “Courage and Improvisation: The Max Roach Papers” Ingrid Monson, Harvard University 2016-2017 Library of Congress Jazz Scholar As I sat going through box after box of the Max Roach Papers in the Music Division at the Library of Congress, the …

Woman with dark hair, fancy dress and pearls with eyes closed and mouth slightly open, singing

Pride in the Library: LGBTQ+ Voices in the Library’s Collections

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

This is a guest post by Meg Metcalf, women’s, gender and LGBTQ+ studies librarian in the Main Reading Room. It was originally posted on the Library of Congress Blog. The collections of the Library of Congress tell the rich and diverse story of LGBTQ+ life in America and around the world. To share this story, …