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Posted by: Cait Miller
Does the name “Coolidge” sound familiar? If you’re a regular LC concert goer, or have taken a tour of the Jefferson Building, then you know about the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium. Were you to assume that this venue was funded by or named for President Calvin Coolidge, you would be wrong! Our famous auditorium was constructed …
Posted in: Concerts and Events, Women in Music
Posted by: Pat Padua
Every other Friday, a new batch of photos from the William P. Gottlieb collection is uploaded to Flickr. This week’s selection includes iconic photos of Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie, and portraits of jazz greats such as Errol Garner, Benny Goodman, and Lionel Hampton. But in addition to the well-known names are intriguing portraits of lesser- …
Posted in: Jazz, Musicians, Special Collections, Women in Music
Posted by: Pat Padua
Two years ago I visited Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the anniversary weekend of the tragic battle. I have never been a Civil War aficionado, but to trod that consecrated ground among the Civil War reenactors and tour guides, to visit the house where Jennie Wade lived and died, was truly haunting. Remember the Battle of Gettysburg with …
Posted in: Sheet Music, Special Collections, Women in Music
Posted by: Pat Padua
Modern music lovers with a penchant for the Baroque may assume that the much-loved timbre of the harpsichord has been popular ever since its development in the 15th century. But according to Grove Music Online, the instrument fell almost entirely out of favor by the early 19th century, owing to the emergence of the piano. …
Posted in: Concerts and Events, Musical Instruments, Musicians, Special Collections, Women in Music
Posted by: Pat Padua
Sunday, May 9, is Mother’s Day. My colleague on Inside Adams, the Science, Technology, and Business Blog, writes about the floral industry’s popularization of Mother’s Day here. What better way to remember mothers living and passed away than with songs from the Music Division. The Performing Arts Encyclopedia has over two hundred pieces of sheet …
Posted in: Sheet Music, Special Collections, Women in Music
Posted by: Pat Padua
Billie Holiday, one of the great jazz singers, was born April 7, 1915. She recounted her hard life in the autobiography Lady sings the blues, but despite her suffering at the hands of family, a racist society, and her own addictions, despite the smoky, world-weary voice of her later years, the joy her music brought to …
Posted in: African American History, Birthdays, Jazz, Musicians, Women in Music
Posted by: Pat Padua
This post was excerpted from an article written by Robin Rausch, Senior Music Specialist, for the Library of Congress Information Bulletin. When Library of Congress music specialist Susan Clermont agreed to participate in a special event featuring works by women composers from the collections of the Library’s Music Division, she volunteered to explore the …
Posted in: Composers, Special Collections, Women in Music
Posted by: Pat Padua
The following post is adapted from an article by Kevin Lavine, Senior Music Specialist and Reference Librarian. The complete article, part of the web presentation Felix Mendelssohn at the Library of Congress, can be read here. Drawn together by their shared love of music and exceptional talents, Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) and his older sister Fanny …
Posted in: Composers, Special Collections, Women in Music