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Category: Instrumental Music

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Song Stories: Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday”

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

For this week's NLS Music Notes blog post, we learn the story behind Stevie Wonder's song, "Happy Birthday."

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Hidden Gems of the NLS Collection: Béla Bartók’s “Allegro Barbaro”

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

This week, learn more about how ancient dialects influenced the composition of one of Bela Bartok's most famous works, "Allegro Barbaro."

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Schumann’s Character Pieces

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

For this week's NLS Music Notes Blog post, our Braille Music Specialist Timothy Jones discusses Robert Schumann and one of his sets of Character Pieces for piano, "Scenes from Childhood."

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Hidden Gems of the NLS Collection: The Life and Music of Muddy Waters

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

For this week's NLS Music Notes blog post, our "Hidden Gems" series takes us to the Mississippi Delta as we learn about the life and music of Muddy Waters.

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It’s National Library Week!

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

This week we are celebrating National Library Week! This year's Honorary Chair, Molly Shannon, honors the work of her favorite librarian--her mother. Read on to learn more about the history and importance of National Library Week.

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New BARD Additions: December 2021

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

In this week's NLS Music Notes blog post, we bring you the latest offerings that have been added to BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download). Please enjoy this musical feast, and Happy Holidays from the NLS Music Section!

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Progressive Rock, Classical Influences

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

Progressive Rock drew its inspiration from a number of influences. For this week's NLS Music Notes Blog post, learn more about the classical music that inspired Rush, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, and many others!

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American Music from A to Z in the NLS Music Collection: E—Eastman School of Music

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

In our alphabetical journey through the NLS Music Collection, we have arrived this month at the letter E. 2021 is the centennial of the founding of one of the world's leading music schools, the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Composers, educators, performers, and other music pioneers from this prestigious institution are represented far and wide throughout our holdings.

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Hidden Gems of the NLS Collection: Toccata, Villancico y Fuga, Op. 18 by Alberto Ginastera

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

September 15 through October 15 is National Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month. It is a time when we celebrate the generations of Hispanic and Latino Americans that have contributed to our society in positive and meaningful ways. On our journey through the treasures of the NLS Music collection, we recently came across a wonderful work written for organ by Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983), the Toccata, Villancico y Fuga, Op. 18. While this work is performed by organists on a regular basis, the rest of us would benefit from learning more about both the composer and the composition.