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Posted by: Katie Rodda
In the space of just two weeks, musicians and music-lovers remember the life and death of two of the most famous saxophonists known to the world: Eric Dolphy, who passed away on June 29th, 1964 and Albert Ayler, who was born on July 13th, 1936. Each of them left an indelible mark on the world, …
Posted in: Blues, Braille Music, Classical Music, Instrumental Music, Jazz, Large Print, Large Print Music, Music Instruction, saxophone
Posted by: Gilbert Busch
Often the blogs we write have something to do with the calendar: a historic event, date of birth or death, etc. but this blog concerns a favorite topic of mine. Going through all the Robert Greenberg courses that the Music Section offers, I found one called “The String Quartets of Beethoven.” So I got the …
Posted in: Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Classical Music, Instrumental Music, Music Composition, Music History and Appreciation, Performing music
Posted by: Mary Dell Jenkins
Recently on June 9th-10th, I had the pleasure to present some treasures at the recent “Pride in the Library: LGBTQ+ Voices in the Library of Congress Collections” exhibit. This was in the Jefferson Building and there was great interest in what was on display. The attendance record (2,365 visitors over three days) illustrates the level of …
Posted in: American Composers, Braille Music, Classical Music, Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, Music Composition, Music History and Appreciation, NLS Music Section, Performing music, Vocal music
Posted by: Katie Rodda
Now that the hockey season is officially over, there is only one major sport that is capturing the nation’s attention: baseball! I find that baseball is synonymous with summer, as it’s been played in the summer months for generations. I’m sure I’m not alone recalling warm summer evenings spent gathered around the radio listening to …
Posted in: American Composers, Audio, Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Broadway, Large Print, Large Print Music, Music History and Appreciation, Piano, Piano Music, Popular Music, Recordings, Rhythm & Blues (R&B), Tin Pan Alley, Vivaldi
Posted by: Donna Koh
Recently, I read Willie Nelson’s autobiography “It’s a Long Story.” Willie and his sister Bobbie were raised by their paternal grandparents who were avid amateur musicians. From when they were very young, the Nelson children spent much of their time making music together and singing gospel songs at their church. Willie still cherishes those times …
Posted in: Family music making, Folk Music, Instrumental Music, Vocal music
Posted by: Gilbert Busch
On May 13, I was baking cookies and listening to the Met Broadcast of Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier. One of the announcers explained that this production would take place not in the 18th century, but in 1911, the year it was composed (also the year that Mahler died, I thought to myself). And that’s when it …
Posted in: Audio, Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille libretto, Classical Music, Large Print Music, Libretto, MahlerFest, Metropolitan Opera, NLS Music Section
Posted by: Katie Rodda
For this week’s blog, the staff of the Music Section decided it would be a good idea to update our readers on some of our newly added titles from Bill Brown. These books are not on BARD. However, they are all available on digital cartridge. If you see something that interests you, please get in touch …
Posted in: Audio, Banjo, Guitar instruction, Music Instruction, New Acquisitions, NLS Music Section, Piano, Popular Music, Recordings, Rhythm & Blues (R&B), Rock n' Roll, Talking Books
Posted by: Mary Dell Jenkins
On Saturday, May 6, 2017, I had the pleasure to present some braille music scores and talk about the NLS Music program to many people in a short amount of time. They were all very happy and streaming by the Main Reading Room desk in the Jefferson building at a very rapid pace. However, they …
Posted in: Disco, NLS Music Section, Performing music, Rock n' Roll
Posted by: Katie Rodda
We’ve discussed show-tunes, Broadway, and the Great American Songbook on the blog before, but we have yet to talk about perhaps one of the most influential composers of American standards: Irving Berlin, who happens to celebrate his 129th birthday today. Along with penning a few Broadway scores, including the score for Annie Get Your Gun, …
Posted in: American Composers, Audio, Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Broadway, Jazz, Large Print Music, Music Composition, Music History and Appreciation, NLS Music Section, Piano, Popular Music, Vocal music