Top of page

Category: Instrumental Music

Close-up of the fingers of two hands as the touch a paged filled with raised dots

“Away with Harmony as the Cement of my Architecture!”: Arnold Schoenberg at 140

Posted by: Katie Rodda

This Saturday, Arnold Schoenberg celebrates his 140th birthday. All those who have studied music have come across Schoenberg’s compositions in one way or another, and whether they love, despise, or are intrigued by his works, it’s undeniable that Schoenberg had an enormous impact on 20th and 21st century art music. I must admit, I have …

Close-up of the fingers of two hands as the touch a paged filled with raised dots

“Take Five”…and Check Out Our Jazz Titles

Posted by: Katie Rodda

Although the majority of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) Music Section’s collection deals with classical music, we also have a wide array of materials dedicated to the great American art form–jazz. In this blog post, I will detail some of the special format materials in our collection that jazz …

Close-up of the fingers of two hands as the touch a paged filled with raised dots

In Performance: Musicians Take the Stage

Posted by: Mary Dell Jenkins

While most people associate Louis Braille with the system of reading and writing for the blind, many are not aware he was also an accomplished organist and musician.  There is good evidence he created the Braille code for music first and language second.  But whichever came first, the literary or the music code, we’re just grateful …