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Rock On! “Stairway to Heaven” Turns 50

Posted by: Katie Rodda

This blog post takes a look at "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin on the eve of its 50th birthday. Materials from the NLS Music Collection on rock music and guitars are featured.

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American Composers and Blind Musicians from A to Z: U-V (Part 2 – Ungár, Imré)

Posted by: Katie Rodda

Today's blog post continues our series of American composers and blind musicians with Hungarian pianist Imré Ungár.

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The French Connection: French Composers for Organ

Posted by: Katie Rodda

This blog post looks at the life of two renowned French composers for organ (Louis Vierne and Olivier Messiaen), and their compositions in the NLS Music Collection.

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American Composers and Musicians from A to Z: M (Part 1—MacDowell, Edward)

Posted by: Katie Rodda

This guest post by music librarian Brian McCurdy continues our American Composers from A to Z series. This time we are looking at the life and work of composer Edward MacDowell.

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Happy Fourth!

Posted by: Katie Rodda

On this Independence Day, I thought it would be nice to review some of the patriotic tunes we have in the NLS Music collection. In previous posts I’ve discussed the music of George M. Cohan and John Philip Sousa. We also have some posts about the Ohio State School for the Blind’s marching band by …

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A Composer for All Seasons: Benjamin Britten

Posted by: Katie Rodda

This blog is a brief look at some of Benjamin Britten's compositions and relevant materials from the NLS Music Section.

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American Composers and Musicians from A to Z: E (Part 1 – Ellington, Duke)

Posted by: Katie Rodda

Continuing our series of American composers from A to Z, we come to the letter E. Personally, I can think of no better example than Duke Ellington. I consider him to be one of the first great quintessential “American” composers of his time, who wrote music in a true American idiom, rather than copying Western …

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American Composers and Musicians from A to Z: D (Part 2 – Davis, “Blind” John and Dranes, Arizona)

Posted by: Katie Rodda

Blind John Davis Blind John Davis was born in Mississippi in 1913, but moved to Chicago with his family at a young age.  He lost his sight shortly thereafter at age 9. He began to learn the piano as a teen, and later became a regular session musician for famous blues record producer Lester Melrose …