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Posted by: Pat Padua
The Music Division is proud to announce Coast to Coast: The Federal Theatre Project 1935-1939, a new on-site exhibition that presents materials from one of our most popular collections. The Federal Theatre Project was established by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt under the Works Progress Administration, and marked the only time that the United States federal government …
Posted in: Exhibitions, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
In the Muse has been under the weather lately, but has been dragged out of sick bay to bring sheet music to a readership clamoring for songs to sing. This week’s humorous tale of childhood disease is brought to you by a husband and wife songwriting team that is little known today, Irene Franklin and …
Posted in: Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
There’s a big game on this Sunday, and while In the Muse does not have a dog in this fight, we can provide music for a victory dance should the Green Bay Packers emerge victorious. Should the Pittsburgh Steelers snack on the opposition, they can celebrate their renewed dynasty with “The Age of Steel,” from …
Posted in: Birthdays, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Today we release another one hundred images from the William P. Gottlieb Collection to Flickr Commons. This week’s selection offers iconic photos of the trumpet legend Louis Armstrong, clarinet player Sidney Bechet, composer Leonard Bernstein, and vocalist June Christy. And, as is often the case, there is something unexpected in the mix. This week’s surprise is a series of …
Posted in: Film Music, Jazz, Musicians, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
“Music has charms to soothe a savage breast.” That famous line was uttered by a character in William Congreve’s 1697 play The Mourning Bride. From the dance of the ancient Greeks, to the propulsive bass on the disco floor, to Dancing with the Stars, music goes hand in hand with the body. One of the …
Posted in: Sheet Music, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Selections from the Martha Graham Collection is a new web presentation now available in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia. Dancer, choreographer, and company director Martha Graham (1894-1991) is considered one of the pioneering founders of American modern dance. In a career spanning over seven decades, Graham developed her own innovative technique and produced an impressive legacy …
Posted in: Dance, Digital Collections, Special Collections, Women in Dance
Posted by: Pat Padua
The rejuvenative force of spring (or is it hunkering down for the winter?) leads to many an autumn baby. This week In the Muse would like to celebrate the birthdays of two alliteratively named figures whose work can be found in the Music Division’s diverse collections. Vaudeville, Broadway, and film dancer Harriet Hoctor was born September …
Posted in: Birthdays, Dance, Musicians, Special Collections, Women in Dance
Posted by: Pat Padua
Summer means baseball, and baseball has a long history of superstition, but before you decide to stop bathing after your next no-hitter, remember that the performing arts is far from immune to the allure of old wives’ tales. The most notable superstition in the repertoire may be that of theater professionals who refer to one …
Posted in: Composers, Sheet Music, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Earlier this week the Library announced this year’s inductees into the National Recording Registry. Among the inductees is Morton Subotnick’s “Silver Apples of the Moon,” a piece composed on one of the unlikely treasures of the Music Division’s instrument collection. The following is a guest post by Steve Antosca, a composer living and working in …
Posted in: Guest bloggers, Musical Instruments, Special Collections