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Posted by: Melissa Wertheimer
“Yes, yes, let’s talk about the weather.” – Chorus, Act I, No. 9, The Pirates of Penzance, or, the Slave of Duty It has been an unusually rainy summer here in the Mid-Atlantic (and spring, for that matter)! Let’s get through this deluge with a variety of music about rain from the Music Division’s collections. …
Posted in: Jazz, Sheet Music, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
The following is a guest post from Dr. Daniel Callahan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Music at Boston College, who will be presenting the Spring 2018 American Musicological Society/Library of Congress lecture on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 (tomorrow). The event is free and open to the public. Dear Bradley Cooper and Jake Gyllenhaal, …
Posted in: Guest bloggers, LGBTQ+, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
It’s International Jazz Day! When our friends from the Prints & Photographs Division let us know that they’d be featuring favorite jazz-related items today on their blog, Picture This, I couldn’t let the day go by without a related post. Of course, the Music Division is home to outstanding jazz collections that document the life …
Posted in: African American History, Composers, Jazz, Musicians, Sheet Music, Sound recordings, Special Collections, Women in Music
Posted by: Cait Miller
Tomorrow, April 25, marks the one and only Ella Fitzgerald’s 100th birthday. Fitzgerald’s impact on American music is undeniable, and her legacy and influence continue to inspire new generations of artists today. To celebrate the First Lady of Song on her special day, the Library’s Jazz Specialist Larry Appelbaum will give a talk tomorrow …
Posted in: African American History, Birthdays, Jazz, Musicians, Special Collections, Women in Music
Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres
Legendary saxophone player Gerry Mulligan (1927-1996) would have turned 90 today (April 6th)! In commemoration of his birthday and Jazz Appreciation Month, we invite you to explore the Gerry Mulligan Collection at the Library of Congress. Below are links to the collection finding aid, articles, and some fun digital resources. If you have any reference …
Posted in: Birthdays, Jazz, Musical Instruments, Musicians, New Acquisitions, Special Collections
Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres
This Week at the Library: Tuesday, 3/7, 12:00 pm – Obsession, Collection, Donation: Dayton C. Miller (Lecture) Wednesday, 3/8, 2:00 pm – The Sounds of Feminist Revolution (Lecture) Thursday, 3/9, 7:00 pm – Miles and Trane as Living Ancestors (Lecture) ***** Tuesday, March 7, 2017 – 12:00 pm [Lecture] Obsession, Collection, Donation: Dayton C. Miller, …
Posted in: Composers, Concerts and Events, Curators, Jazz, Musical Instruments, Musicians, New Acquisitions, Sheet Music, Special Collections, Staff
Posted by: Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres
Yesterday the Library of Congress announced the 2014 selections for the National Recording Registry. The list of hit recordings being added includes a wide-ranging playlist of music from the last hundred years. From “Stand by Me” to Radiohead’s “OK Computer,” the Library’s National Recording Preservation Board selected a compelling array of twenty-five recordings that capture …
Posted in: Curators, Jazz, Musical Instruments, Musicians, Sound recordings, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
The following is a guest post by Daniel Walshaw, Music Division. Berlin – before the nightclubs and the heavy metal concerts, before the cabarets and the brettls, even before the Berlin Philharmonic – evening musical entertainment was centered on a vibrant and growing chamber music tradition, nurtured by King Frederick II of Prussia. C.P.E. Bach, Johann …
Posted in: Composers, Guest bloggers
Posted by: Pat Padua
People sometimes ask if Library of Congress programs are available to view online. Copyright and other issues prevent us from making everything available online, but highlights from the Music Division’s great concert and lecture season are available on the Library’s webcasts page, including the lecture “Bernstein meets Broadway,” the late Jack Gottlieb’s revealing talk “Working …
Posted in: Concerts and Events, Musicians, Pic of the Week