Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern – Oh My!
This post shares news of and links to the Music Division’s recent publications of a finding aid and research guides relevant to the composer Arnold Schoenberg and the Second Viennese School.
In Memoriam Louis Andriessen
Dutch composer, pianist, and teacher Louis Andriessen (1939-2021) passed away on July 1, 2021. He is connected to the Music Division through his 1993 Koussevitzky Music Foundation commission.
Frederic Rzewski: “Life is a Riddle”
We were saddened to learn of the passing of composer and pianist Frederic Rzewski on June 26, 2021. He was an extraordinary figure in the musical world, perhaps best known for his piano music—his monumental composition The People United Will Never Be Defeated is surely one of the most significant variation sets of the last […]
Happy Pride Month from the Music Division!
Emily Baumgart helps us celebrate Pride Month with a few LGBTQ+ highlights from our performing arts collections and the announcment of a forthcoming LGBTQ research guide from the Music Division.
New Research Guides Available Online!
Explore the Music Division’s most recently published online research guides about Musicals of Stage and Screen, Johannes Brahms, and Clara Schumann.
Béla Bartók’s Early Works and His Student Etelka Freund
The following is a guest post from Archives Processing Technician Dr. Rachel McNellis. In his essay, “The Influence of Peasant Music on Modern Music,” published in 1931, Hungarian composer Béla Bartók (1881–1945) describes the beauty of folk music and its significance to classical composers: “The right type of peasant music is most varied and perfect […]
“A Grand Series of Musical Compositions”: The Curious Case of Nicola Sampieri
An obscure composer from the late 18th and early 19th century, Nicola Sampieri self-published most of his music with programmatic titles, intricate engravings, and specific instructions for performance that included both sound effects and visual displays.
Jessye Norman Takes the Cake!
The team processing the Jessye Norman papers take a first hand look at her “quick dessert cake” recipe.
Joseph Lamb: an Unlikely Ragtime Giant
Processing Technician Pam Murrell shines light on the surprisingly ordinary life of a man who would be deemed one of the extraordinary classical composers of syncopated rhythm.
“Cicada Terrible Freedom”
Archives Processing Technician Emily Baumgart describes some timely cicada-centric compositions by avant-garde composer, writer, poet, and inventor Lucia Dlugoszewski.