The Music Division has been busy this week. The Performing Arts Encyclopedia has just presented online collections both new (Franz Liszt, in honor of his bicentennial) and updated (fifteen composers and their works have been added to the American Choral Music presentation). But today we have a special announcement to make. The recipient of the 2012 …
September 19th was the birthday of two old friends of the Music Division. Jazz pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams was born September 19, 1930 in Chicago. He worked as a sideman behind such luminaries as Dexter Gordon and Max Roach, and was part of the 1970s jazz loft scene in New York, so named because of …
This week’s Pic of the Week breaks one of the cardinal rules of Good Photography: show your subject. But if you recognize the face emerging from the ghostly apparition, it makes perfect sense. Jazz singer Mel Tormé was born on this day in 1925. He began his long career as a drummer for Chico Marx, …
The following is a guest post from Senior Music Reference Specialist Kevin LaVine. Throughout the 1930s, as the developing Soviet state was liquidating Tsarist property in order to generate funding for its ambitious projects, Herbert Putnam, the Librarian of Congress at that time, seized the opportunity to purchase approximately 2800 volumes which were formerly held …
As August draws to a close, In the Muse would like to catch up on a number of birthdays you may have missed. August 4, which is the day we celebrated Louis Armstrong’s birthday, was also the birthday of film composer David Raksin, who donated sketches and scores from films like Laura, Forever Amber, and Carrie …
In the Muse can’t believe it’s been a year since the Music Division joined the Library of Congress’s efforts on Flickr Commons. On July 30, 2010, we uploaded the first batch of photos from the William P. Gottlieb Collection to the popular photo sharing site. And it is a happy coincidence that we belatedly celebrate …
Check out a new program that investigates the architecture of and treasures inside the Library of Congress that premieres tonight on C-SPAN at 8:00 p.m. ET (it re-broadcasts at 11:00 p.m.). You can even view a clip of the documentary as well as an extra interview with Librarian of Congress Dr. James Billington here! If …
The following is a guest post from Reader Services Technician Melanie Guitreaux. Today would mark the 100th birthday of Ginger Rogers, a performer who emanated energy and romance and, together with her alluring partner Fred Astaire, struck the film world by storm. The world famous dancing duo dazzled audiences with their spectacular performances …
In the Muse wonders how it got to be July already. To mark the latest turn of the calendar page, we present the most viewed blog posts from June 2011. Thanks to Elizabeth Fulford Miller for providing web metrics. And now, from our home office atop Independence Avenue, the top eleven blog posts for June …
