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Category: Musical Instruments

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 …

Elton John seated at red piano with Bernie Taupin standing behind piano. Image of the two men projected on rear screen.

“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

Here in Washington, D.C., we are lucky to have experienced approximately 87% of “lunar coverage” during the 2024 solar eclipse. You can keep the party going tonight. Trade out your eclipse glasses for a pair of rhinestone studded Elton John-style glasses for the broadcast premiere of “Elton John & Bernie Taupin: The Library of Congress Gershwin …

Photo of Eddie Condon in a suit and bowtie holding his Gibson guitar.

Eddie Condon’s Gibson Guitar Finds a New Home at the Library

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

The Library of Congress Music Division is proud to be the new home of guitarist and bandleader Eddie Condon’s Gibson L-7 Plectrum guitar, which was custom made for him in 1965. The guitar (pictured below) features a carved spruce top with a sunburst finish. Donated in 2023 by Maggie Condon, Eddie’s daughter, the guitar is …

Saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin performing on an alto saxophone in the Coolidge Auditorium. Wearing a gold jacket and white top.

Now Streaming: January 2024 Edition

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

The Library of Congress is proud to offer free digital programming from its collections for the enjoyment of audiences that are not able to attend our live events in Washington, D.C. The Music Division works with colleagues throughout the Library to ensure that past events in the Concerts from the Library of Congress series, educational …

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

Happy Birthday Gerry Mulligan!

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

Legendary saxophone player Gerry Mulligan (1927-1996) would have turned 90 today (April 6th)! In commemoration of his birthday and Jazz Appreciation Month, we invite you to explore the Gerry Mulligan Collection at the Library of Congress. Below are links to the collection finding aid, articles, and some fun digital resources. If you have any reference …

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

This Week: Collecting, Women’s Day & Jazz Legends

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

This Week at the Library: Tuesday, 3/7, 12:00 pm – Obsession, Collection, Donation: Dayton C. Miller (Lecture) Wednesday, 3/8, 2:00 pm – The Sounds of Feminist Revolution (Lecture) Thursday, 3/9, 7:00 pm – Miles and Trane as Living Ancestors (Lecture) ***** Tuesday, March 7, 2017 – 12:00 pm [Lecture] Obsession, Collection, Donation: Dayton C. Miller, …

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

This Week: Hagen Quartet, Hindemith, Monson & Hutchins

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

This Week at the Library: Tuesday, 2/28, 12:00 pm – Hindemith’s Musical Responses to WWI (Lecture) Wednesday, 3/1, 12:00 pm – Ingrid Monson (Interview) Friday, 3/3, 6:30 pm – American Luthier: Carleen Hutchins (Lecture) Friday, 3/3, 8:00 pm – Hagen Quartet (Concert) ***** Tuesday, February 28, 2017 – 12:00 pm [Lecture] Hindemith’s Musical Responses to …

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

Next Week: Musical Goodness Galore

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

Monday, January 23, 2017 – 8:00 pm [Concert] Pacifica Quartet with Jörg Widmann, clarinet The exuberant, Grammy-winning Pacifica joins forces with German composer and clarinetist Jörg Widmann, well-matched partners for the striking works you’ll hear in this concert. Widmann’s dramatic, sinister Jagdquartett is a grimly ironic scherzo channeling the intensity and chaos of the hunt, …

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

Andrew White: “Petey, Me and the Library of Congress”

Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres

The following is a guest blog by Andrew N. White III, a participant in the Library’s DC Jazz Project, a component of the 2016-2017 Library of Congress Jazz Scholars program. This program is made possible by the Reva and David Logan Foundation. White delivered a lecture-recital at the Library on November 3, 2016 (a video …