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Posted by: Pat Padua
Our colleagues at the Library of Congress blog have noted the trending topic of the end of the world, based on a reading of the Maya calendar that lays out the day of creation as Aug. 11, 3114 B.C., and the end of the world approaching on Dec. 21, 2012. Which is tomorrow. The Music Division …
Posted in: Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
The following is a guest post by frequent In the Muse contributor, Senior Cataloger Sharon McKinley. I hear this question ALL the time: does the Library of Congress have any cute cat videos? Well of COURSE the Library has cute cat videos. They’re just not in the Music Division (The Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Record …
Posted in: Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
The intelligent universe has been fascinated with the images coming from Tuesday’s landing of Curiosity, the new Mars rover. Man’s fascination with celestial objects is as old as civilization itself, and 20th century musical ruminations on the planets range from Holst’s 1916 orchestral suite The Planets to jazz iconoclast Sun Ra’s “Interplanetary Music” on the …
Posted in: Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
The Oxford English Dictionary defines “lallapaloosa” as “something outstandingly good of its kind.” The term has its origins in American slang from the turn of the 20th century, but its most popular spelling variation is associated with a music festival of more recent vintage. Music fans converge on Chicago this weekend for the 2012 Lollapalooza. …
Posted in: Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
Last Sunday, June 17, marked the 237th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, where on a hilltop just outside of Boston over 1000 members of the rebel army put up a valiant fight against two infantry charges by the highly organized (and significantly larger) British forces. Though the Americans were defeated by the third …
Posted in: Sheet Music of the Week
Posted by: Pat Padua
The children’s prayer that begins, “Now I lay me down to sleep” dates back to an 18th century New England primer, but its musical life has followed a surprising path over the more than two centuries since. From heavy metal (Metallica) to hip-hop (The Notorious B.I.G.) to indie rock (Liz Phair), the iconic words have …
Posted in: Composers, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
The following is a guest post by Judy Graves, Digital Project Coordinator, Digital Reference Section and life-long Girl Scout. On Saturday, June 9th, the Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capitol will host a song fest on the National Mall. With 200,000 girls and adults expected, this will not be an ordinary songfest by any stretch …
Posted in: Guest bloggers, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
As seen from the Earth, the planet Venus will move across the face of the sun on June 5, 2012. This week’s featured sheet music celebrates this rare orbit with John Philip Sousa’s commemorative march, part of a Transit of Venus presentation created in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia with the help of NASA scientist Sten …
Posted in: Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Fans of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows were saddened by the death last week of star Jonathan Frid, who played the vampire Barnabas Collins. This week’s featured sheet music does not speak of vampires or other shadowy figures. But its lyrical plea to “meet me in the shadows” is at once romantic and sinister, and …
Posted in: Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections