Wednesday, February 1, 2017 – 12:00 pm [Gallery Talk] Here to Stay: The Legacy of George and Ira Gershwin Senior music specialist and exhibit curator Raymond White introduces treasures of the George and Ira Gershwin Collection. He will discuss the types of items on exhibit, including music manuscripts, lyric sheets, letters, photographs, and the new …
On Friday, January 20, 2017, the Presidential Inauguration will take place and the President-elect will officially begin his duties as the 45th President of the United States. As we prepare for this political ritual, I thought it might be interesting to share some examples of music composed for and about specific presidential inaugurations from long …
As a fan of the musical Hamilton, I’ve been listening to The Hamilton Mixtape non-stop since its release last Friday. The new album offers covers of numbers from the original cast recording, new tracks inspired by the musical, numbers cut from the show and even a couple of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s demo tracks. However, it occurs …
The following is a guest post by Jennifer Martyn, a violinist and a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Music. Her research focuses on the life and career of Amanda Maier. She is particularly interested in Maier’s career as a violinist and how her performances and repertoire can inform us about the …
This week our nation comes together to honor the brave men and women who have made many sacrifices while serving in uniform. As you commemorate their contributions to protecting our freedoms, we invite you to listen to some patriotic music from our collections. “In the Muse” Veterans Day Playlist Eternal Father, Strong to Save [“The …
Happy 100th Birthday to the National Park Service! The National Park Service was founded 100 years ago on August 25, 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson. Reporting to the U.S. Department of the Interior, the National Park Service protects and makes accessible hundreds of historic sites, monuments, parks, and recreation areas throughout the United States and …
The following blog is a guest post by Marcia McCants, a summer intern in the Music Division’s Concert Office. McCants is a rising senior at James Madison University where she is majoring in music. New musical styles and genres, as well as instrument timbres, emerged in the 1920s and 1930s. The xylophone gained prominence during …
The following is a guest post by retired cataloger Sharon McKinley It’s that time again when the world focuses on the glories of the Summer Olympics. Many of us are enthralled by the extensive coverage. Basketball! Cycling! Gymnastics! Track and field! Badminton! No, don’t laugh. That’s the competitive sport I played as a teenager. Alas, …
The following is a guest post by Julianne Mangin, a retired Network Specialist from the Library of Congress. The sounds of a summer night can be charming — a light breeze rustling the trees, the chirp of crickets, perhaps the occasional hoot of an owl or croak of a frog. But on one such night …