This past month the Music Section made available for download on BARD three contemporary, popular, and jazz titles. First, a braille transcription of Glee Songbook: Easy Piano. This book contains a collection of songs from the popular TV show Glee‘s first season arranged for easy–or beginner–piano. Examples include: Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon, “Can’t Fight This Feeling;” …
We have written – more than once – about Music Section patron Justin Kauflin. Last October, Justin performed a wonderful jazz set at the Library of Congress celebrating 50 years of service by the NLS Music Section, and demonstrating his prowess and creativity at the keyboard. Thanks to technology, Justin’s performance can now be heard …
A few weeks ago, I published an interview with NLS narrator Laura Giannarelli. In it, she talks about how she became a Talking Book narrator, and some of her favorite parts of the program. Ms. Giannarelli is one of the many narrators who narrate the liner notes of our newly acquired Smithsonian Folkways books. She …
Born May 15, 1567, Claudio Monteverdi most likely had no idea how far his idea of putting words to music and staging would go to the rich, extravagant productions seen in opera today. Maybe his marriage to a court singer in 1599, Claudia de Cattaneis, encouraged him to tackle a Greek myth of finding love …
