At the end of my January blog post about 19th-century French composer Louise Angélique Bertin, I promised that a feature was forthcoming about her contemporary Marie Felicie Clémence de Reiset, the Vicomtesse de Grandval (1828/30-1907). I can’t wait to share some Music Division treasures of hers with you in honor of Women’s History Month!
As Black History Month comes to a close, the Music Division is pleased to announce three recently published research guides that highlight Black history in our collections: “Harry Thacker Burleigh: A Guide to Resources,” “Early African-American Music: A Bibliography,” and “Black Composers in Music Division Collections.”
Take a look at four new jazz scores added to the Charles Mingus Collection: “Alive and Living in Dukeland,” “Three or Four Shades of Blues,” “Cumbia and Jazz Fusion,” and “Todo Modo.”
The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), Library of Congress, will kick off its 90th anniversary celebration with a free virtual concert by jazz pianist Matthew Whitaker on Wednesday, March 3, at 8:00 p.m. (EST)—and you’re invited!
The Library of Congress announces an impressive lineup of musicians and ensembles for an exciting spring 2021 season. Continuing its critically acclaimed virtual series, Concerts from the Library of Congress presents concerts, interviews and conversations with artists and composers, lectures, curator talks and educational offerings. Scheduled for webcast March through June, the 20 events include […]
Explore the life and work of pianist, singer, and actor Hazel Scott (1920-1981) through a collection of her papers, newly available in the Music Division.
An update on reporting the Music Division’s holograph manuscripts to RISM, Répertoire International des Sources Musicales.
January 15, 2021 is the 216th birthday of Louise Angélique Bertin. She was a French composer, poet, librettist, and painter. She was the only composer to work directly with Victor Hugo, the first French composer to set Goethe’s Faust as an opera, and the first woman of the 19th century to have an opera performed at the Opéra de Paris. The Music Division has wonderful resources about Louise Angélique Bertin.
This In Memoriam blog post remembers Dr. Cyrilla Barr (1929-2021), musicologist and Professor Emerita at The Catholic University of America, who researched music patron Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge in the Music Division’s collections and published Coolidge’s biography.
Lyricist and songwriter Harold Rome’s first Broadway score, “Pins and Needles,” became the longest running musical of the 1930s. With a cast of garment workers and a pro-union message, it was unlike any other musical seen at the time.