On March 29, the musical world lost a giant – Polish composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki. The Library of Congress Music Division remains connected to Penderecki through primary sources in our collections, and we hope that you can remain connected to him in this way, as well.
Music Division Archivist Morgen Stevens-Garmon reflects upon American playwright, screenwriter, and librettist Terrence McNally, who died of complications due to COVID-19 on March 24, 2020.
Jazz specialist Larry Appelbaum retired from the Library of Congress on March 31, 2020. Larry reflects on his career at the Library of Congress and provides links to interviews, panels, and blog posts he created and facilitated at the Library of Congress.
An undeniable musical trend during social distancing right now is the wealth of online music making. In the spirit of music keeping us together while we’re apart, I propose a Spring-Themed Online Music Challenge! Use the sheet music I recommend in this blog post about spring and flowers from the Music Division’s digital collections, make videos, and tag us on social media.
Musician Machito (c. 1908-1984) and his group the Afro-Cubans performed from 1940 to the early 1980s, forming an influential legacy that includes salsa music and Afro-Cuban jazz. The Music of Machito and His Afro-Cubans collection primarily contains approximately 150 manuscript and published compositions and arrangements performed by the ensemble.
The following is a guest post by Claudia Morales of the Music Division. On Thursday, March 13, the Library of Congress closed all Library buildings to the public. Within a few days, all public events in March and April were canceled, and the cancellation period has now been extended through May 10. These cancellations are […]
2020 St. Patrick’s Day celebrations will look a bit different for many who are used to sharing a beer at their local Irish pub; nevertheless, we can still celebrate the spirit of Ireland and the Irish by sitting at the piano, listening to some favorite ballads and songs, and doing a little online research in […]
This post introduces the John Herbert McDowell Papers, which include McDowell’s musical scores for film, modern dance, Off-Off Broadway, and sacred and secular music, as well as programs, scripts, and photographs.
Learn more about conductor and cornet player Leonard B. Smith and his Detroit Concert Band through his concert band and orchestra library, personal music collection, correspondence, clippings, programs, and photographs.
On Rossini’s leap day birthday we highlight a Rossini manuscript for a recitative and sketch from his opera Moïse, held in the Music Division’s Moldenhauer Archive.