This is a continuation of my survey of songs recently added to the LOC’s National Recording Registry, indicating where they may be found in the NLS music collection. (Note that Over the Rainbow was covered in last week’s blog.) Puttin’ on the Ritz Harry Richmond’s 1929 recording of this Irving Berlin song was added to …
Every year, 25 recordings are added to the LOC’s National Recording registry, recordings that are considered “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” The purpose of this blog is not to list all 25 of them, but to highlight those where the song is part of the NLS Music collection. Most of these items may be downloaded …
For many music lovers, the end of January brings to mind two birthdays: Mozart’s on the 27th, and Schubert’s on the 31st. Could a composer born between these two giants, end up being overlooked? Perhaps. It was while preparing my blog about the Viking Opera Guide (BRM29585) that I learned that the 29th of January …
This afternoon, I looked at the Metropolitan Opera schedule, which appears in the October-December issue of our quarterly magazine The Musical Mainstream. It lists all of the operas to be performed, along with NLS materials, librettos, lectures, etc., pertaining to the operas. Nowhere did I find any mention of a reference book that I read …
In Part I of this blog, I introduced the subject of American Braille, and pointed out that some NLS music scores use this system. Now, in Part II, I offer this list of American Braille symbols to help you if you ever receive such a score. Each letter or symbol in the left column is …
This blog post is concerned with the 2015 Braille Music Code, and where to obtain a copy. In addition, there is information about an upcoming conference call for those wishing to discuss braille music topics. The announcement comes from BANA, the Braille Authority of North America. BANA is the organization which makes decisions about contractions, formatting, …
“I can’t read this braille at all,” a coworker says to me one morning; “What does it say?” Moving my hand over the dots, I am reminded of an incident from childhood. My piano teacher had just handed me Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14. I had never heard of this piece (by Mendelssohn), so I checked the …
